International insurance group Howden has been named a new principal partner of the British & Irish Lions rugby union touring team.
The four-year deal, announced yesterday (July 13), sees Howden designated the official front-of-shirt sponsor for the 2025 Lions tour to Australia.
It will also invest in the Lions Women’s program, as the possibility of a historic inaugural Lions Women’s Tour continues to be explored.
Elsewhere, Howden will support the British & Irish Lions at a community level, championing the ‘Lions Origin Clubs’ that have helped shape the iconic team, which comprises players from England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.
The deal builds upon Howden’s involvement in rugby and sport elsewhere. It is already the official insurance broker for clubs affiliated with the Rugby Football Union national governing body in England.
Earlier this year, it sponsored UK horse racing’s Guineas Festival, and it has previously had tie-ups with the likes of horse racing’s Ascot and England Hockey.
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By GlobalDataDavid Howden, founder and chief executive of Howden Group, said: “I’m thrilled that we are partnering with such an iconic British and Irish brand as we look towards 2025 for the men in Australia and as we play a part in investing in the women’s game and the hugely exciting prospect of an inaugural Lions Women’s Tour. I’m particularly proud that we will be supporting Lions Origin Clubs through our 200 branches and our 6,500 employees in our communities across the UK and Ireland. Our colleagues in Australia will of course also be eagerly anticipating the 2025 tour.
“We have been heavily involved in community and professional sport for more than a decade through our Sport and Entertainment practice and this partnership aligns us with a unique franchise in elite sport, one which harnesses the collective power of the home nations and the passion and imagination of rugby fans and non-rugby fans alike around the world. It is our core employee ownership and the passion and imagination of our people which makes us a different kind of animal in the insurance world, so the Lions feels like a perfect match.”
Ieuan Evans, chairman of the British & Irish Lions, commented: “Howden is a fantastic organization, and we believe they will be a great partner for us in the coming years. We are also very excited to confirm Howden as the official front-of-jersey/shirt sponsor for Australia 2025.
“Australia will be a huge tour which will once again see the sea of red support the Lions in person on tour following the 2021 Tour to South Africa which was impacted by Covid-19. Our ambition is to make 2025 the greatest Lions tour ever, positioning it as a major global sporting event, and it is fantastic to have the support of Howden on this journey.”
Ben Calveley, chief executive of the British & Irish Lions, added: “It is a testament to Howden that their support for the British & Irish Lions spans across multiple strands including the men’s tour to Australia, our ongoing work in relation to a potential Lions Women’s Tour, as well as at community level.”
“The landscape for rugby and wider sport has been challenging over the past couple of years when you consider in particular the impact of the global pandemic and we ourselves experienced this first hand on our last tour to South Africa in 2021.
“Thankfully, we are in a much stronger position now and excited at what is to come. As a business, the wide range of services and solutions Howden provides are designed to protect organizations for the future. As we embark upon a hugely exciting period and look to establish the British & Irish Lions as the most successful and admired sporting brand both on and off the pitch, having the support of a strong and stable organization like Howden makes a lot of sense for us.”
The Lions’ Howden deal follows a renewal announced in January with Fanatics that saw the digital sports platform and e-commerce company retain exclusive global e-commerce rights for the team.
