Land Rover has today been unveiled as the Principal Partner of Cardiff Blues.
Today’s announcement was made in the grounds of Cardiff Castle, as the full Cardiff Blues squad were joined by representatives from each of the 75 grassroots rugby clubs that make up the region.
Youngsters from the regional clubs were invited to take part in a festival of rugby within the Castle grounds, run by coaches and players from Cardiff Blues.
Land Rover’s partnership with Cardiff Blues is the latest addition to the company’s long standing support of rugby at all levels of the game; from grassroots to the elite.
The three-year deal is the first time Land Rover has directly supported the game in Wales and is testament to its commitment to investing in rugby in the UK.
As part of the new partnership, Land Rover will be well placed to engage its established network of retailers in the region with rugby and Cardiff Blues, helping strengthen ties with the local community.
Cardiff Blues chief executive Richard Holland said: “Everyone at Cardiff Blues is incredibly excited by the new partnership with Land Rover and what the next three years has in store.
“Land Rover has a renowned history in supporting rugby and its experience will be important in the continued development of the club and rugby in the region.”
Land Rover’s support of rugby has extended to two Rugby World Cup tournaments in 2011 and 2015 as Official Sponsor and a Worldwide Partner respectively as well as six British & Irish Lions Tours, including the upcoming Tour to New Zealand in 2017.
In the UK, Land Rover’s investment in rugby includes, Official Vehicle of Premiership Rugby, Main Club Partner of English Premiership Rugby side Wasps and Title Sponsor of the UK grassroots rugby programme, the Land Rover Premiership Rugby Cup, which has been engaging the next generation of rugby players for nearly a decade.
Jeremy Hicks, Managing Director, Jaguar Land Rover UK, said: “Today’s announcement is not only an important addition to Land Rover’s growing rugby sponsorship portfolio, but represents a significant increase in our investment within rugby in the UK.
"We are proud of our heritage in rugby and this partnership has offered us a fantastic opportunity to further strengthen our community links in Wales and engage our Land Rover retailers and owners who are also rugby fans.
"We are excited by the club’s ambitions for the future on and off the field, and look forward to the start of our partnership.”