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MASTERCARD PARTNERS ON WOMEN IN RUGBY, CONTINUES SUPPORT OF RUGBY IN AFRICA

Mastercard has signed on as the exclusive partner of the Youth Unstoppables element of the Team Powered campaign and work to inspire young women and girls to get involved in the sport. This is a transformative five-year partnership to accelerate the development of Women in Rugby, which will supercharge the international federation’s ambitious Accelerating the Development of Women in Rugby 2017-25 strategic.  Under this ground-breaking partnership, Mastercard will become (1) the founding Global Partner of World Rugby’s Women in Rugby program, exclusively focusing on growing youth participation and raising the global profile of the women’s global competitions and calendar; (2) the first Worldwide Partner for Rugby World Cup 2021 and Rugby World Cup 2025, as Preferred Card for both tournaments; and (3) the first Global Partner of WXV, the annual global women’s competition due to start in 2023.

In addition to the partnership, World Rugby has launched its new Women in Rugby Team Powered marketing campaign aimed to inspire more women and girls to play and watch the sport by showcasing our belief that women’s rugby is the ultimate team sport – on and off the pitch – and how, through the power of togetherness, a team is greater than the sum of its parts.

The new campaign and Mastercard partnership build on strong foundations, with women’s rugby experiencing unprecedented growth in recent years – more than 2.7 million women and girls are currently playing globally, making up a quarter of the world’s playing population. Latest Nielsen Research for World Rugby has reported women’s rugby is on the rise with interest in established markets up to 45 per cent and in emerging markets to 27 per cent, a 15 per cent and 22 per cent increase since 2018, respectively.

Mastercard has always recognized the unique values of rugby and has supported the sport in several projects including: Rugby World Cup (Men’s) since 2008, Rugby World Cup (Women’s) since 2017 and Golden Lions Rugby Union amateur women’s club league and senior women’s team since 2020; Appointment of brand ambassadors Piwokuhle Nyanda, a professional South African and Golden Lions Women’s Rugby player, and Chanel Alberts, the head coach of the Golden Lions Senior Women’s Team, to champion and develop grassroots women’s rugby in South Africa; and Honoring the best Women’s & Men’s 15s Players in the World with sponsorship of Women’s & Men’s 15s Player of the Year Awards at the World Rugby Awards. 

Mastercard will be using its Priceless platform to curate unique experiences with World Rugby and brand ambassadors exclusively available on Priceless.com/rugby and the development of Rugby-specific content in the future that reinforces the company’s dedication to gender equity, aligning with its signature STEM curriculum titled ‘Girls4Tech’.

Commenting on the new partnership, World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin, said that “Women’s rugby is going from strength to strength globally, and the new Team Powered campaign and Mastercard partnership will supercharge the sport’s growth, inspiring a new generation of players, fans and parents.” He also stated that World Rugby has “developed an ambitious commercial strategy to underpin the sustainable growth of women’s rugby, encompassing both the elite and community levels of the sport, enabling partners to champion and support all aspects of the women’s game and make an impact in this priority area.”

In this remarks, Raja Rajamannar, Mastercard Chief Marketing and Communications Officer said that “Fostering connections and giving people the opportunity to grow their passions is what Mastercard stands for. We are honored to support a sport as inclusive as women’s rugby that has seen unprecedented growth in recent years. Together with World Rugby, we look forward to creating programs and experiences that get people closer to the game they love.”

And according to Katie Sadleir, World Rugby Women’s Rugby General Manager, the organization is “thrilled to welcome Mastercard on board as our founding partner of Women in Rugby. A core pillar of our ambitious women’s strategic plan is to develop a strong and engaged portfolio of strategic commercial partners committed to long-term investment and support for the women’s game.”

This article was adapted from a press release distributed by APO Group on behalf of World.  You can start earning money by becoming our Independent Reporter or Contributor. Contact us at IR@downtownafrica.com

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