Guinness strengthens ties with English rugby union

Under the terms of an enhanced sponsorship package, Guinness will continue its 40-year association with rugby union.

The new deal means that for the next four years Guinness will maintain its presence at England fixtures and will become the official partner of the West Fan Village Stage at all international games played at London’s 82,000-seater Twickenham stadium. The stage area is free-to-enter for ticket holders on match days, and hosts live bands, food and drink stalls, as well as jumbo screens showing classic England highlights, interviews and features with players and coaches.

While continuing its strong presence around the stadium on home match days, Guinness will also work with the RFU on broader projects designed to improve fan experience.

Prioritising fan engagement 

Steve Brown, chief executive of the RFU, commented: “We are delighted to be renewing our partnership with Guinness - a leading global brand that has a strong rugby association.

“Guinness has become synonymous with England Rugby and the match day experience, and shares our aims to prioritise fan engagement so together we are looking forward to delivering more unbelievable match days to England fans.”

Ed Pilkington, marketing and innovation director at Diageo Europe, said: “It’s an exciting time to be involved with England Rugby and we’re pleased to be committed to the RFU for another four years.”

The new deal, financial terms of which have not been made public, will maintain Guinness’s firm grip on the game at international and domestic levels. The enhanced partnership with the England national side coincides with the brand's existing sponsorship of the Pro14 tournament, which involves club sides from Scotland, South Africa, Wales, Italy and Ireland.

England’s men’s team plays Argentina in the first of three autumn internationals at Twickenham this weekend.