By Matt Hardy
European rugby chiefs are in exploratory discussions with companies over a potential title sponsor for the Challenge Cup, City A.M. can reveal.
The relative of the Champions Cup, which on Thursday announced bank Investec as its title sponsor on a five-year deal, the Challenge Cup has not had a sponsor since insurer Amlin partnered the competition in the 2013-14 season.
“I’d love to have one,” Jacques Raynaud, chief executive of competition organisers EPCR, told City A.M. “We are having a bit of a conversation [with potential sponsors].
Challenge Cup conversations
“They’re with the type of sponsors which don’t have the budget for the Champions Cup or who aren’t necessarily looking for the premium category.
“They’re looking for a platform which is uncluttered, which has good values – you don’t need to police the fans – which is a good business platform and exposure.
“We are having exploratory conversations. I’d like to say but it’s too soon.”
The second tier of continental club rugby – which this year will include South African sides and a team from Georgia – has been seen by some in the sport as an afterthought, with the format consistently changing to fit the needs of its parent Champions Cup competition.
But in recent years, the competition has gone from being in a separate stadium, and often a different city, to the Champions Cup to being in the same stadium, on the Friday night before the main final.
Last year’s final was in Dublin’s Aviva Stadium and this year’s finale will be contested at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
A new sponsor for the Challenge Cup would be the latest in a series of small wins for rugby, which has been crippled by the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent financial woes.
And there looks to be a shift towards the Square Mile, too, with the likes of Gallagher, Howden, Investec and others all involved with rugby.
The competition begins in December, setting a hard deadline to agree a sponsor should the discussions progress beyond their early stages.
