Heineken Announced As Founding Partner For Champions Cup
Heineken today announced that it will continue its support of European club rugby, through the Heineken brand, by becoming a founding partner of the new European Rugby Champions Cup and the European Rugby Challenge Cup tournaments.
The partnership with the newly-constituted tournament organiser EPCR (European Professional Club Rugby) will extend through to the end of the 2017/18 season.
The new deal extends Heineken’s rich rugby heritage into a new era of European professional club rugby, and builds on its unique position as the only brand consistently involved in European club rugby since its inception 20 years ago.
Widely considered as the pinnacle of world club rugby, the new tournament formats span the six nations of England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy featuring elite clubs from the three leading leagues in Europe.
It will also provide new opportunities for rugby nations such as Romania and Georgia to ultimately compete at the highest level of the club game. The new competitions will be watched and enjoyed by rugby fans all over the world with new television and digital distribution deals bringing the games into more than 100 countries.
Heineken will give rugby fans the ultimate access to the matches by offering them the chance to partake in the Heineken back stage stadium tour and to be present at the Heineken coin toss alongside the referee and the two captains.
In addition, the Heineken man-of-the-match will be presented after each game and Heineken will also have extensive online and social media rights to bring engaging and exclusive content to fans of European club rugby everywhere.
Hans Erik Tuijt, Global Activation Director at Heineken, said: “We’re proud to be part of a new era in European rugby. Innovation and evolution are part of our brand’s DNA, so we see our support of the competitions as a natural progression.
“We look forward to again seeing the world’s best players and clubs battle it out for European glory at the finals in London next May. Both competitions are the perfect platform for the brand to keep building on its proud rugby heritage.”
EPCR Board Director and Executive Committee member Paul McNaughton (pictured above) added: “The launch of the inaugural European Rugby Champions Cup and European Rugby Challenge Cup marks the start of a new chapter in the illustrious 20-year history of European club rugby, and we’re delighted that a prestigious international brand such as Heineken will continue on this exciting journey alongside us.
“Building on the rich heritage of the past, both tournaments are set to attract over one million fans in their inaugural season alone and will continue to be the gold standard in professional club rugby.”
Heineken was title sponsor of the new competition’s eponymous predecessor from its launch in 1995 until its final season in 2014. Over the Heineken Cup’s 19 seasons it had become widely regarded as the world’s premier club rugby tournament.
Heineken is also a sponsor of the 2015 Rugby World Cup, a relationship that has encompassed the 1995, 2003, 2007 and 2011 editions of the sport’s biggest tournament.
Rugby fans will be able to enjoy Heineken at all venues for both the Champions Cup and Challenge Cup, and the brand will continue to offer fans, old and new alike, the opportunity to see these great matches live through ticket giveaways and competitions.