Cardiff, 16th March 2010; Admiral, the FTSE 100 financial services company, today announced that it is set to become the principle partner of the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) from the start of the 2010/11 rugby season.
The partnership, brokered by Essentially, will see Admiral become the new WRU shirt sponsor in an initial three-year deal that will also see the Admiral logo on all secondary and training apparel. Additional benefits range from in-stadia signage to tickets for matches and access to international players.
Rugby is one of the most popular sports in the UK, and remains a key focus area for BBC Sport, which offers live coverage of all 6-Nations games, as well as all of the Welsh Rugby Autumn Internationals. The WRU currently boasts one of the strongest teams in global rugby and supplied 12 players to the British and Irish Lions Tour of South Africa in 2009, including Shane Williams, Jamie Roberts and Mike Phillips.
Charlotte Bennett, Marketing Director at Admiral says ““This is the first time Admiral has entered into sport sponsorship, but as a proud Welsh company there is no one better for us to sponsor than the Welsh national team. We look forward to a successful partnership with the WRU and the benefits we will see from our association with them. And I’m sure our employees will be thrilled to see the Admiral logo on the new team kit.”
Roger Lewis, Group Executive of the WRU is delighted by the prospect of working with one of Wales’ true business success stories: “We are hugely excited to welcome Admiral on board as our principle partner. Admiral is a company we have long admired and like Welsh Rugby they have a proven track record and continue to strive to be the best of the best. We are looking forward to creating a partnership over the coming years that focuses on a number of business facets, but most importantly that delivers pride and enjoyment for all of their staff across Wales.”
Mike Vandrau, Commercial Rights at Essentially, added: “This is fantastic news for Welsh Rugby. Admiral remains a leader in the insurance sector and over the coming three years the WRU are looking to establish themselves as a leader on the rugby field; especially with the World Cup in 2011. This is a hugely exciting opportunity for a partnership between two of the biggest brands in the UK, who share great synergy and similar goals for the foreseeable future.”
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For further information please contact:
Mike Vandrau
Commercial Rights, Essentially Group
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7820 7000
mike.vandrau@essentiallygroup.com
Notes to Editors:
Admiral plc, (a trading name of EUI Ltd) launched in 1993, and is part of Admiral Group plc. Admiral Group plc was admitted to the Official List of the London Stock Exchange on 28 September 2004 following a Global Offer of Ordinary Shares to institutional investors. On 24 December 2007 the Company became a constituent of the FTSE 100 index. The Ordinary Shares trade under the ticker symbol ADM.L. . The Admiral Group employs over 3,000 people, has over 2.0million customers.
The Admiral Group plc through its subsidiary company EUI Limited principally sells private motor insurance and ancillary products, such as cover for breakdown, car hire and legal expenses. EUI Limited markets directly to the public in the UK through its four core brands: Admiral, elephant.co.uk, Diamond, and Bell.
Essentially, part of Chime Communications plc, is a leading sports
marketing, media, management and services agency.
The business is split into three divisions: sports marketing comprising rights sales,
consultancy and events management; athlete management; and professional services which
includes tax, image rights and other related services.
Strong and focused positioning in its core sports of expertise including and cricket (clients
include all Test Match Grounds, MCC, England & Wales Cricket Board, and the Professional
Cricketers Association) and rugby union (clients include the 2009 British and Irish Lions, the
Magners League, Rugby World Cup Sevens 2009, and Welsh Rugby Union) provide a
strategic platform for growth and market expertise.
For more information, please contact Adrian Dinsdale on +44 (0) 20 7820 7000 or adrian.dinsdale@essentiallygroup.com |