The initial four-year deal, worth £20million, will see the two organisations work together on the elite end of the professional game in England via Aviva Premiership Rugby, but also through a significant investment in community programmes, increasing still further the reach and effectiveness of the Aviva Premiership Rugby clubs in their communities.
Mark McCafferty, chief executive of Premiership Rugby, said: “A title sponsorship deal with Aviva, which is such a strong international consumer brand, is another significant milestone in the growth of Premiership Rugby and provides us with a long-term partnership commitment to our sport and to our work in the community.”
Mark Hodges, chief executive of Aviva UK, added: “This is a fantastic sponsorship which is going to give us great opportunities to reach many of the people and businesses we work with across the UK, through what is arguably the most competitive and exciting rugby competition in the world.
“We’ve invested a lot of time and effort looking for and researching the right sponsorship opportunity and we know that rugby, the fastest-growing participation sport in England, fits absolutely with Aviva. It appeals to many of our customers, intermediary partners and to the other businesses we work with in the UK, so this sponsorship will give us exciting opportunities to connect with them and deliver significant business benefit.
“And through the roll-out of a new Aviva national grassroots programme we are proud to be helping develop and inspire the next generation of rugby players to take up the sport."
Jon Varney, commercial director of Premiership Rugby, said: “Our partnership with Aviva marks the beginning of a very exciting chapter in the growth and continuing professional development of the club game in England, as we commence new broadcast contracts for the first season of Aviva Premiership Rugby with ESPN, Sky and ITV.
“Premiership Rugby’s values reflect those of Aviva and we share its vision to further strengthen the professional game whilst recognising and supporting the role local communities play in the growth and long-term success of the sport.”
The deal begins immediately and will be officially launched closer to the start of the 2010/11 Aviva Premiership Rugby season.
