Heineken has signed an agreement with Rugby World Cup (RWC) to become a worldwide partner and the official beer of Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand.
The partnership was formally announced in Wellington today (Mar 18) in the presence of the New Zealand Prime Minister John Key MP.
It marks the fourth time that Heineken has been a sponsor and worldwide partner of the Rugby World Cup, having previously been involved in the tournaments in South Africa in 1995, Australia in 2003 and France in 2007.
“We are very excited to again be an integral part of the world’s premier rugby tournament and one of the world’s largest sporting events,” said Heineken Group commerce director, Stefan Orlowski.
Added RWC chairman Bernard Lapasset: “We are delighted to again welcome Heineken as a worldwide partner of the Rugby World Cup. The strength of the commercial programme is important to the delivery of a world-class tournament and, ultimately, the development of the game around the world.”
Heineken will begin implementing activities to support the partnership in late 2010, building up to the first game of the tournament on September 9, 2011, with the final being played in Auckland on October 23.
It is estimated that a cumulative audience of 4.2 billion people watched the Rugby World Cup 2007 and that this will increase for the 2011 tournament.
More than 30 per cent of Heineken’s global volume is consumed in the major rugby playing nations.