Scottish Rugby and Vodafone have partnered in a new multi-year partnership that will see the mobile network become the organisation’s principle partner.
Vodafone will feature as the back-of-shirt sponsor for both the men’s and women’s teams and will see Scottish Rugby join Vodafone’s portfolio of rugby partners, alongside the Welsh Rugby Union and Irish Rugby Football Union.
As part of the deal, Vodafone will also become a Principal Partner of Scottish Rugby’s Women’s Pathway. Scotland Women and the women’s pathway teams will gain full access to Vodafone PLAYER.Connect, the mobile-first platform that enables female athletes to understand the impact their menstrual cycle has on performance, wellbeing and recovery.
The Vodafone PLAYER.Connect platform is already used by Vodafone’s partners including Wales Women, the Armed Forces Women’s Rugby Team, and the women’s rugby teams at Edinburgh, Cardiff and Durham universities.
Rachel Malcolm, Scotland Women’s Captain, said: “It’s a really exciting time for Scottish Rugby to be partnering with Vodafone. To have such an established brand supporting us is especially important at such a pivotal moment in our season.
“In particular, their investment into the rugby pathways and regional centres is so important for the next generation of talent here in Scotland and we’re really excited to see how this helps our game progress and how we show up on the world stage next year.”
The partnership will also see Vodafone leverage its mobile network and connectivity solutions to bring fans across the nation closer to the action. This has previously included the trial of its 5G Fan App with the Welsh Rugby Union at Principality Stadium.
The app uses augmented reality technology and Vodafone’s 5G to enhance the fan experience by allowing users to track player stats and explore live elements of the game by holding their phones up to the pitch.
Vodafone will work with Scottish Rugby on similar solutions across both Hive Stadium and Scottish Gas Murrayfield.
Rob Winterschladen, Consumer Director at Vodafone UK, said: “We’re really proud to be a new Principal Partner of Scottish Rugby’s Men’s and Women’s teams, who join our growing portfolio of partnerships with some of the UK’s most iconic teams and events.
“As The Nation’s Network, we’re committed to connecting our customers to the people, businesses and places that matter to them, whether it’s using the power of our 5G to elevate the experience for rugby fans or our landmark Vodafone PLAYER.Connect platform to assist the players. We’re hugely excited to be working with the Scotland teams and to be further supporting the growth of women’s rugby in the UK.”
