BMW Group UK to partner the Rugby Football Union

NOTE: Sophie Goldschmidt, RFU Chief Commercial Officer, and Graham Biggs, BMW Group UK Corporate Communications Director, will be available for interview at 11.15am today via conference call. Please email laurabrown@rfu.com by 10.30am to confirm your attendance and obtain dial in details.

The Rugby Football Union (RFU) today announced a new four-year partnership with BMW Group UK as the Official Vehicle Partner from September 2012.

BMW Group UK will invest in various levels of the elite game through an integrated partnership to become the Official Vehicle Partner of England Rugby, title sponsors of England’s elite age grade development programme and front of shirt sponsors of the England Under-16, Under-18 and Under-20 squads.

The partnership sees the world’s leading premium automobile manufacturer make a significant investment in the continued development of the next generation of English players.

Outside of its commitment to development and support of the England teams, BMW Group UK will also engage rugby supporters and BMW and MINI customers through the RFU’s digital channels and at Twickenham Stadium on international match days.

Sophie Goldschmidt, RFU Chief Commercial Officer, said: “We are delighted to be entering into a new partnership with BMW Group UK, a company renowned both for the excellence of its vehicles and for supporting the development of athletes. As one of the leading global automotive brands who pride themselves on performance, we are really looking forward to working with them at various levels from September.”

Tim Abbott, Managing Director of BMW Group UK, added: “This new partnership is an excellent result for the RFU, BMW, our dealers, customers and, crucially, anyone who plays or follows rugby. The game is a perfect brand fit for us and this news comes as a natural extension of the work we have already done to support some of the UK’s leading sports stars. ”

England Head Coach Stuart Lancaster has overseen the development of English players over the last four years in his role as RFU Head of Elite Player Development. “Putting in place the right player development programmes is critical if we are to make England successful, not just in 2015 but beyond,” said Lancaster. “We are now seeing the fruits of our age grade representative structure and BMW’s support of that will be a massive boost to them.”

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Rugby Football Union (RFU)

The Rugby Football Union is the National Governing Body for rugby union in England and supports participants and fans from the grassroots to the national team. For more information visit rfu.com

England Elite Player Development and Representative Teams

Since summer 2007, when the age-group and player development programmes were upgraded, the following has been achieved in age group internationals:

England U18 – won 29 of 32 games: 91 per cent

• Last outing:beat Ireland 25-13 in Madrid
• Grand Slams 2008, 2009, 2010
• FIRA/AER European Championship finalists 2011, winners 2012

England U20 – won 38 of 47 games: 81 per cent

• Last outing: beat Ireland 20-9 at Adams Park
• Grand Slams 2008, 2011. JWC finalists 2008, 2009, 2011. Six Nations winners 2012
• George Ford IRB Junior Player of the Year 2011 (first ever England winner)

Senior international caps from the programme in this period: Courtney Lawes, Ben Youngs, Alex Corbisiero, Joe Simpson, Charlie Sharples, Manu Tuilagi, Jordan Turner-Hall, Owen Farrell

The BMW Group
The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI, Husqvarna Motorcycles and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 25 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

In 2011, the BMW Group sold about1.67 million cars and more than 113,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for the financial year 2010 was euro 4.8 billion on revenues amounting to euro 60.5 billion. At 31 December 2010, the BMW Group had a workforce of approximately 100,000 employees.

BMW in the UK

• BMW Group UK contributes £1.2 billion p.a. directly to UK GDP
• Around £1 billion invested in MINI UK manufacturing since 2000 and a further £500million to be invested by 2014
• £2.4 billion p.a. of car, engine and related exports from UK
• £1 billion spend p.a. with UK suppliers
• Jobs: c. 7,500 direct, 11,000 people in the UK dealer network
• BMW Group supports over 46,000 jobs in the UK
• More than 200 apprentices each year – growing own future talent

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/BMWUK

Twitter: http://twitter.com/BMWGroup

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/BMWUK

For further information please contact:

Laura Brown               Rugby Football Union Senior Communications Manager

Tel: 07545 602718       Email: laurabrown@rfu.com

Gavin Ward                  BMW Media Relations Manager
Tel:  01344 480829      Email: Gavin.Ward@bmw.co.uk

Wieland Bruch              Product Communications Manager

Tel: 01344 480113        Email: Wieland.Bruch@bmw.co.uk

Graham Biggs              Corporate Communications Director

Tel:  01344 480109       Email:  Graham.Biggs@bmw.co.uk

Main office number:            01344 480320

Media website:                    www.press.bmwgroup.co.uk

Customer website:              www.bmw.co.uk