BOOST FOR CLUB RUGBY IN SCOTLAND – SCOTTISH HYDRO ELECTRIC BECOMES NATIONAL SPONSOR OF SCOTTISH COMMUNITY RUGBY
Posted: 04/Jan/07
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Scottish Rugby announced a major new sponsorship for the community game today with Scottish-based energy supplier, Scottish Hydro Electric. Club Rugby in Scotland will benefit from the new partnership agreement, which was unveiled at Murrayfield today.

In a three year deal starting in the 2007/08 season, Scottish Hydro Electric will become the title sponsor of the Premiership, National Leagues and National Cup competitions in Scotland.

More immediately, Scottish Hydro Electric will be title sponsor for the 2007 Super Cup which kicks off this Saturday (6 January) throughout Scotland, between the ten clubs in the current Premier One format.

These competitions will become the Scottish Hydro Electric Premiership, the Scottish Hydro Electric National Leagues, the Scottish Hydro Electric Cup and the Scottish Hydro Electric Super Cup.

The sponsorship will enable Scottish Rugby and Scottish Hydro Electric to support the development of club rugby in communities throughout Scotland.

In addition, starting next month, Scottish Hydro Electric will be the title sponsor for the popular Club of the Month award, which recognises a club’s efforts to grow the game, its disciplinary record and overall performance.

Scottish Hydro Electric will also be title sponsor for the Community Club Player of the Year, for all levels of the community game. These awards are presented at Scottish Rugby’s Annual Awards Dinner in May.

As part of a substantial six-figure sponsorship, Scottish Hydro Electric and Scottish Rugby have agreed to collaborate on the provision and marketing of a new electricity and gas tariff to be launched later in 2007.

Modelled on Scottish Hydro Electric’s successful relationship with the British Heart Foundation, customers buying electricity and gas under the tariff won’t pay any more than Scottish Hydro Electric’s standard prices but with each rugby tariff customer, the company will donate additional support towards the sport in Scotland. This additional support arising from the tariff will recur on an annual basis and so has the potential to add several hundred thousand pounds to the total community sponsorship.

Commenting on today’s major sponsorship announcement, Gordon McKie, Chief Executive of Scottish Rugby, said:

“This is an important day for Scottish Rugby and club and grassroots rugby in particular. It gives me great pleasure in announcing Scottish Hydro Electric’s involvement in the sport at club level - another major Scottish brand now associated with Scottish Rugby.

“The partnership with Scottish Hydro Electric recognises the significant part the community game plays in our sport throughout the whole of Scotland. Starting as soon as this Saturday’s 2007 Super Cup, this new sponsorship will bring immediate benefit to club rugby and wider grassroots rugby activities, with the major impact coming with the new season in September.”

Kevin Greenhorn, Head of Marketing, of Scottish Hydro Electric, said:

“Scottish Hydro Electric is looking forward to embarking on this new and innovative partnership with Scottish Rugby. It combines a boost for club and community rugby in Scotland, with the opportunity to work together over the long term to attract a significant new income stream for the sport.

“This is an important step forward for rugby and for Scottish Hydro Electric - one which complements our other investments in community activities in Scotland. We are very pleased to be associated with the sport, as it moves into an exciting new era, and in a way which will deliver sustained and long-lasting benefits over the coming years.”

Scottish Rugby’s Head of Community Rugby, Colin Thomson added:

“Scottish Rugby and Scottish Hydro Electric will work in partnership from next season, alongside rugby clubs at the very heart of their communities throughout Scotland, to deliver premiership, national league and cup competitions that will present our sport in a dynamic way for participants and spectators.”

George Clark, Premier One representative on the Scottish Rugby Board and Council, commented:

“I warmly welcome the involvement of Scottish Hydro Electric and in particular their sponsorship of the Super Cup, which promises to be a particularly exciting and intriguing competition, played under experimental law variations which will attract interest worldwide."

This article was posted on 4-Jan-2007, 13:28 by Hugh Barrow.