Examples of where long-term sustained investment and sponsorship have improved rugby, are all around us. From an investment perspective, England’s women are the prime example. Many of the test teams in women’s rugby still aren’t ‘fully pro’ and those that are have only been pro for four-ish seasons. England’s women have been pro the longest (since early in Jan 2019 to exact), and the benefits of long-term cash investment are there for all to see. England’s women are currently ranked number one in the world; seven points clear of Canada – that’s a massive difference in terms of World Rugby ranking points. To put it simply, England’s women hand out more beatings than a 1970’s mob boss.
Longterm investment in women’s rugby is also important because the benefits of that sponsorship often won’t be immediately beneficial to the sport – only in the years to come. Whilst the brands sponsoring will obviously see an immediate uplift, the end goal for women’s pro rugby isn’t to expand in the next 18 months, but in the next 18 years. Some supporters and pundits took issue with comments from the WRU’s Head of Women’s Rugby this week, after Belinda Moore stated that their Rugby World Cup wasn’t a failure – because engagement levels had gone up. And whilst this hasn’t gone down well with rugby’s purists, currently the goals for women’s rugby are more holistic than the men’s. Yes, women’s rugby is still about winning, but it’s also about creating a rugby movement that can be sustainable and visible for the next 25 years – it’s arguably the next generation of female players who will really change the game.
Then there are the comparisons with the men’s game, where the benefits of long-term investment/ sponsorship have been undeniable. Early in men’s pro rugby, major brands became involved in the game, and their names have become synonymous with the sport ever since. Heineken being the finest example. Europe’s premium club/regional competition has always been called the Heineken Cup by supporters – long after Heineken had actually stopped sponsoring it. The lesson being that if you invest early, and properly, the long-term memory of rugby supporters is there for the taking.
Which leads neatly into why some of the major alcohol brands are seemingly so averse to getting involved with women’s pro rugby. It’s almost like they think women don’t drink, or they’re a different type of fan entirely – they aren’t. Even in the men’s game in Wales, many of the chair-people for the official supporters’ clubs of the Welsh regions are women. They watch home and away with male fans. They’re in the same pubs. They drink the same stuff. They eat the same food. In short, they are largely the same target market for sponsors.
This is all well and good listening to someone rant about the long-term benefits of rugby investment and sponsorship. But how exactly can Golley Slater help your brand sort any of this out. Well, the above was written by Paul Williams, who is a Creative Director in our Cardiff office, and also a rugby writer for Rugby World Magazine, Rugby Pass and the United Rugby Championship. Together with our sports expertise in our Leeds office we can not only help your brand make its name in women’s rugby, but also help the next generation of female players make theirs.
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