Banking giant Lloyds has become England Rugby’s first ever back-of-shirt partner after the world’s richest union added the City staple to its sponsorship portfolio.
It comes six months after City AM revealed Lloyds had held talks with England chiefs over back-of-shirt and back-of-shorts sponsorship.
The deal will see the financial giant’s logo appear above the names of senior men’s and women’s player names and is reportedly worth £5m a year.
Suresh Balaji, chief marketing officer at Lloyds, said: “Seeing our iconic Black Horse on the England shirt for the first time is a proud moment for all of us here at Lloyds.”
Added Rugby Football Union chief Bill Sweeney: “This is a truly significant partnership for the RFU and marks an important moment for rugby in England.
“Lloyds is one of the country’s most recognised and proudly British brands, and their commitment extends far beyond visibility on the England shirt.”
Lloyds enter rugby
The RFU described it as a “landmark multi-year agreement” and said the funds from Lloyds would be invested in the entirety of the English pyramid.
Lloyds joins O2 as prominent brands on England’s iconic white shirts, while the likes of Defender, British Airways, Apple and Guinness also within the RFU’s sponsorship portfolio.
Return of the banks
And the move comes amid a surge of traditional banking giants returning to front-line sponsorship.
Investec took on the Champions Cup having not been a major player since their sponsorship of England Test cricket, while Barclays now has a deal with Lord’s and London Spirit, and Standard Chartered has gone into Formula 1.
The RFU’s chief commercial officer Claudio Borges told City AM in March that the back-of-shirt “is a very valuable asset, especially around media exposure”.
“But that comes with a range of digital rights, a range of community activations and different ways that we’re trying to get brands to help us achieve our outcomes,” he added, having confirmed that the organisation were in talks with a number of banks before concluding the Lloyds agreement.