Guinness, the renowned beer brand, has renewed and enhanced its major long-term partnership with the organizers of the annual Six Nations rugby union tournament, which from now on includes naming rights to the women's edition.
As part of the deal, the Women’s Championship will be renamed the Guinness Women’s Six Nations in 2024, and the existing title partnership with the men’s Championship will continue, maintaining it as the Guinness Men’s Six Nations.
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Guinness will replace TikTok as the title sponsor of the women's edition, with that brand having prematurely ended its relationship with the European national teams' competition (containing England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, and Italy).
It has been reported that the annual value of the new Guinness deal, across both the men's and women's Six Nations, is £15 million ($18.7 million).
Tom Harrison, chief executive of Six Nations Rugby (formerly of the England and Wales Cricket Board), has said: “Guinness and the Six Nations have become synonymous, and everyone involved in the partnership, including our unions, is truly excited to continue our work together for many more years.
“This is a defining moment for rugby, with huge potential on the horizon and a genuine opportunity to widen the audience for the sport, to help secure its future.
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By GlobalData“The women’s game is the biggest growth engine for rugby, and through this partnership, Guinness will help accelerate this.”
Stephen O’Kelly, Diageo’s global brand director for Guinness, added: “We are fully committed to the game of rugby and the values it supports in creating an inclusive game for everyone. That’s why we are proud that Guinness will become the title partner of the Women’s Six Nations in 2024, alongside the extension of its title partnership of the Men’s Championship.
“This new partnership will help support the skill and talent of the women’s competition to surge forward towards a level playing field between the men’s and women’s game. It is our goal to never settle until rugby is a place where everyone belongs, where we hold nothing back, and where we unite together in sport and life.”
Guinness became the first partner of the Women’s Six Nations in 2019, which was also the same year their title partnership of the Men’s Championship began, having previously been a lower-tier partner.
The 2024 Guinness Men’s Six Nations begins on February 2, and the 2024 Guinness Women’s Six Nations starts on March 23.
The popularity of women's rugby union has soared in recent years, in line with the general growth in demand for women's sport in general.
