The Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) has renewed its partnership with sportswear brand Canterbury for a further four years until 2024.
As part of the new agreement Canterbury will continue to support of Irish Rugby by providing kits for the country’s Senior Men’s, Senior Women’s, Under 20s and 7s national teams stepping out in Canterbury kit at all major events.
Padraig Power, Commercial Director at IRFU commented: “Canterbury has been the Official Kit partner to the IRFU since 2014 and this four-year renewal will make our partnership one of the most enduring in rugby. The ongoing quality and appearance of the kit reflects the significant R&D and design expertise which Canterbury brings.
“We operate in a demanding environment as we strive to ensure our international teams are turned out in a kit which incorporates the very latest technological advances, while at the same time presenting a design that is contemporary and attractive to our supporters.”
Canterbury and the IRFU have also agreed to collaborate on a grass roots initiative for girls to support the development of the women’s game. The ‘Canterbury Give it a Try’ project is an eight-week programme designed to give girls, aged between eight and 14, the opportunity to learn how to play rugby in a fun and safe environment.
Sean Kavanagh, Global Director of Sports Marketing & Sponsorship at Canterbury, added: “We’re delighted to renew our current partnership with the IRFU through to 2024, which will see the Irish Rugby teams wearing Canterbury at all major events including both the upcoming Men’s and Women’s Rugby World Cups.
“We’re looking forward to working with the IRFU in developing new product innovations and investing in the next generation of players, including our support of the IRFU’s initiative to attract more girls into the sport. Our hope is that young athletes will “Give it a Try” and fall in love with rugby.”
IRFU’s agreement follows on from the organisation’s new online administration system, RugbyConnect, for clubs in the 2020/2021 season. Along with a range of paperless functionalities to help volunteers manage areas such as safeguarding and club membership, the system also is set to help clubs with COVID-19 risk management.
