A week ahead of the start of the new season, the Gallagher Premiership Rugby new title sponsor launched its first partnership marketing initiative called ‘Heroes Of The Game’.
August 22 saw the global insurance broker, risk management services and consulting firm mark the start of the inaugural Gallagher Premiership Rugby season at Twickenham by celebrating the ‘off-pitch’ heroes.
The launch of this introductory campaign saw Gallagher invite 24 people from across the league’s rugby community to Twickenham to “stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their club’s star player” on the hallowed turf of England rugby’s HQ.
12 of Premiership Rugby’s biggest names, one from each top-flight club, joined two members of their team’s own local rugby community to mark the start of Gallagher’s role as official title partner of Premiership Rugby.
The ages of those chosen two dozen ranged from 14 to the late 60s and each was chosen by their clubs themselves in recognition of all that rugby stands for.
We're honoured to kick off the season by celebrating 24 community heroes and rugby ambassadors, who inspire their clubs and truly bring the game to life! Learn more about our #GallagherPrem #HeroesOfTheGame here: https://t.co/zlcwkXhlTz pic.twitter.com/SuTB0vhXcL
— Gallagher UK (@GallagherUK_) August 23, 2018
According to Gallagher, these standout rugby supporters are “people whose energy, determination and commitment demonstrate their passion to protect and grow the game”.
This grass roots salute was paired wwith the launch of a hero ‘This Is The Way We Play’ video, posted on 22 August, to front the campaign across digital and social platforms.
The lead spot was supported across its digital and social channels with content linked by the #GallagherPrem hashtag and leveraging various league related pillar events.
The debut activation, which came 10 days ahead of the season’s 31 August kick-off, champions those that the sponsor believes are the lifeblood of the league, its 12 constituent clubs and their local communities.
The initiative lays the groundwork for how the new sponsor will approach the 2018/19 Gallagher Premiership Rugby season: namely with a focus on celebrating and championing those who support, protect and grow the game within the community and who ‘embody the values and spirit of rugby, both on and off the pitch’.
Indeed, through its first season as the title sponsor, Gallagher will organise a series of charity initiatives in tandem with Premiership Rugby in order to “shine a light on the positive work that is being done around the game, both at scale and within the local communities”.
Representing each club at the ‘Heroes Of The Game’ event were:
Bath Rugby: Lee Hardy, an avid supporter of the club and member of the Bath’s first Mixed Ability team and Ki Williams, a ‘peer promoter’ for Bath Rugby Foundation and Premiership Rugby’s Project Rugby Hub site at the Rec
Bristol Bears: Sid Rai, a current player in the club’s Developing Player Program and Rich Hynes, a highly praised coach at the club’s Community Foundation
Exeter Chiefs: Bob Crowe-Swords, a season-ticket holder who attends every single game, including European games and Ryan Barnes, a passionate Rugby player who is currently enrolled on the club’s Hitz programme
Gloucester Rugby: Ron Etheridge, former player and part of the club’s community department, and Dave Balmer Stadium Manager
Harlequins: Samuel Jones and Obidiah Angus, both participants from Premiership Rugby’s Project Rugby and the Harlequins Foundation
Leicester Tigers: David Needham Club Secretary for the team’s Wheelchair Rugby Club and Eric Barker, a volunteer at Tigers Community Rugby for over a quarter of a century
Newcastle Falcons: Lawrence Patton, a volunteer from the club’s academy, and Chris Simpson, a volunteer from the Newcastle Falcons Community Club
Northampton Saints: Jezz Safford, Club Chaplain and Claire Jones who has been a photographer at the club for over three hundred games
Sale Sharks: Daisy and Henry Hibbert-Jones representing Sale Sharks’ Community Trust Initiative – Henry is also involved in the team’s Autism Project
Saracens: Matthew Stevens, principal from Saracens High School and Scarlett Cooper-Wall a player from Saracens’ women’s team and member of Saracen’s Sport Foundation
Wasps: Graham Harrington, is a participant in Wasps’ Move Like a Pro programme and a player for the Mixed Ability team. Carter Moran is a transgender Rugby player, and currently a HITZ Wasps Community Sports Activator Apprentice
Worcester Warriors: Adrian Snelgrove, an advisor to the Warriors Community Foundation Visually Impaired Rugby and Lisa Stokes, a player for Worcester’s Foundation Mixed Ability side
“As a community insurance broker, our passion is about protecting businesses so they can grow, communities so they can thrive and individuals so they can achieve. Just as rugby helps to inspire, empower and deliver excellence through trust, teamwork and the effective evaluation of risk,” said Simon Matson, the new Chief Executive of Gallagher’s UK Broking and Underwriting operations at the event.
“So what better way to mark the official countdown to the new Gallagher Premiership Rugby season than to take these shared values and shine the spotlight on all those community and club heroes who help make rugby such an inclusive and empowering sport – whose efforts and dedication both protect and grow the game. As the Premiership’s new title partner, we will continue to champion the game’s off-pitch inspirational ambassadors, just as much as we savour each and every competitive clash of its on-pitch heroes.”
Also, as part of the season launch, Gallagher announced an additional two-year deal with the Rugby Union Writers Club: supporting the prestigious organisation on its on-going mission to further the interest of Premiership Rugby through the media.
Robert Kitson, Chairman of the Rugby Union Writers’ Club, said: “Like everyone else in the game the rugby media are eagerly awaiting the new-look Gallagher Premiership. The players may have done more summer training but all those who report on the sport are raring to go as well. We would like to thank Gallagher for agreeing to partner the Rugby Union Writers’ Club and look forward to covering their debut season.”
Comment:
It was back in April 2018 that the league confirmed Gallagher as new title sponsor of Premiership Rugby in a multi-year ‘strategic business and marking’ partnership.
The Illinois-based business officially replaced eight-year incumbent partner Aviva as the English’s game’s elite tournament title partner on 1 July and .
As well as the naming rights, the tie-up spans multiple branding opportunities and local community programmes.
Gallagher is the competition’s fourth title sponsor in its 20-year history following on from Allied Dunbar, Guinness and Aviva.
At the time the deal was penned, Premiership Rugby chief executive Mark McCafferty said: “The international expansion of Premiership Rugby has been accelerated in recent years and it is fitting that we are now partnering with a global company with an equally strong presence in the UK. The last decade has seen major growth in Premiership Rugby’s fan base and it is a huge credit to our clubs – and the way they have grown their businesses – that we can announce this new partnership. We are very much looking forward to the first matches of Gallagher Premiership Rugby in September.”
While J Patrick Gallagher J., Chairman, President and CEO of Gallagher added: “By uniting with this globally-known and fast growing franchise, we have a terrific opportunity to increase awareness about our company, values, expertise and services, and jointly participate in community projects and causes to make a difference. This dynamic business and marketing partnership with Premiership Rugby reflects who we are culturally and professionally.”
Gallagher has actually been backing rugby behind the scenes for several years: both via club rugby at a community level and in the Greene King IPA Championship with Richmond FC and Ealing Trailfinders Rugby Club.
While its other connections with the game include being the preferred risk and insurance advisor of Leicester Tigers since 1985 and the preferred broking partner of Wasps since 2016.
Gallagher, one of the world’s largest insurance brokers with more than 27,000 colleagues across 34 countries, aims to use its tie-up to “help protect and grow the game of rugby – the players, the clubs and the communities that are the pride of millions of fans around the world – by providing its specialist insurance broking and risk management services to the wider Premiership Rugby family”.
The Premier Rugby deal adds to its existing US sports sponsorships such as its IndyCar tie-up,
and its MLB alliance with the Chicago Cubs which is currently being activated through a campaign called ‘Ethics Of Baseball’ led by a video series.
“It created bench-clearing brawls.” #BaseballHOF 2B Ryne Sandberg talks pitching inside with #Cubs announcer @JimDeshaies in the DEBUT EPISODE of Ethics of Baseball presented by Gallagher. #GallagherEthicsofBaseball https://t.co/MgKrKcCVzZ pic.twitter.com/m3HpIT6mgz
— Gallagher (@GallagherGlobal) July 27, 2018
Episode two of The Ethics of Baseball Presented by Gallagher featuring #BaseballHOF 2B Ryne Sandberg and @JimDeshaies is out on 8/23! #GallagherEthicsofBaseball #Cubs pic.twitter.com/V8h2merU9e
— Gallagher (@GallagherGlobal) August 20, 2018
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