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Champ Rugby Secures Multi-Year, Purpose-Led Partnership



Champ Rugby is delighted to announce a multi-year partnership with contract caterer Elior UK, becoming the title sponsor of the Rugby Football Union’s (RFU) Tier 2 competition, in a relationship built on shared values, community impact and a commitment to health and wellbeing.


Under the new agreement, the competition will be known as Elior Champ Rugby. This is a significant new chapter for the league and a major step forward in Elior UK’s investment in sport, culture and social value. The agreement marks the first title sponsorship for the league in over six years and reflects a shift towards purpose-led collaboration, where commercial success and social impact go hand in hand.


At the centre of the partnership is a strong alignment of purpose. Both organisations place people, wellbeing and opportunity at the centre of what they do – from Champ Rugby’s mission to grow competition following and interest, while strengthening clubs, players and communities nationwide, to Elior UK’s focus on nutrition, healthier lifestyles and its lifetime of enrichment social-value programme.


Together, Champ Rugby and Elior UK aim to champion the role of food, health and community in supporting performance on the pitch and positive outcomes off it, helping players, fans and local communities thrive.


Champ Rugby is English rugby’s biggest supporter, connecting grassroots communities with the professional game and providing a ‘Proving Ground’ for future stars. It is the second tier of men’s rugby and is played by both professional and semi-professional players. Featuring 14 teams across the country, the league delivers strong regional reach, local engagement and a powerful platform for community support.


Brian Facer, Head of Champ Rugby, said:

“At Champ Rugby, we exist to grow the game, develop people and strengthen communities. Elior UK shares that same commitment to driving opportunity and long-term impact. This is about fuelling futures - investing in healthier lifestyles, stronger clubs and the next generation of players and fans.”

“This is far more than a sponsorship - it’s a partnership built on shared values,” said Catherine Roe, chief executive officer at Elior UK."


“We’re championing nutrition and healthier lifestyles and supporting local communities and future talent. This collaboration enables us to bring our purpose to life in a meaningful and impactful way.”


Craig Stewart, divisional managing director, stadia at Elior UK added,

“Our experience delivering food and hospitality in the stadia sector makes us a natural partner for Champ Rugby. This partnership allows us to apply that expertise in a way that supports clubs, communities and the future of the game.”

Activation is now rolling out in the final quarter of the season, with the league transitioning to Elior Champ Rugby branding across broadcast, digital and in-stadium environments.


Elior UK already has a strong presence within UK sport, including established partnerships at Scottish Rugby’s Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium, and with Glasgow Warriors. The Champ Rugby collaboration builds on this foundation while extending Elior’s impact deeper into regional communities.


Photo: Left to right: Craig Stewart, Managing Director, Stadia and Events, Elior UK / Catherine Roe, CEO, Elior UK / Leni Savva, CFO, Elior UK / Brian Facer, Head of Champ Rugby


About Champ Rugby

Champ Rugby is the professional second tier of rugby union in England. Featuring 14 teams across the country, it is English rugby’s biggest supporter and is the crucial link in the pathway from grassroots to the top of the game. On the field, talent is handed an opportunity at the elite level, off the field, Champ Rugby lives for the growth of the game, connecting people and communities.

For further information view here.


About Elior UK

Elior UK operates high profile catering contracts across the B&I, health & care home, defence, education, stadia and heritage sectors. It provides customers with a bespoke offer that focuses on great food, drink and customer service and couples it with the benefits that a large company brings. Elior UK is part of Elior Group which operates worldwide with annual revenues of €5.8billion.

For further information view here.


About Elior Group

Founded in 1991, the Elior Group is a world leader in catering and multiservice, and a benchmark in the world of business, education, health, social and leisure. Enjoying robust positions in 9 countries, the Group achieved pro forma revenue of €5.8 billion in 2023. Its 133,000 employees feed 3.1 million people every day in 20,200 restaurants on three continents and provide services in 6 countries.


The Group is based on an economic model built around innovation and social responsibility. In 2004, the Elior Group signed up to the United Nations Global Compact, reaching advanced level in 2015.

For more information view here.

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Following a multi-million-pound investment in a state-of-the-art campus in Glasgow, Barclays unveils a landmark partnership with the Scottish FA that reaffirms its long-term commitment to Scotland through football, entertainment, and community initiatives.


Barclays will become the headline sponsor of Hampden Park, Scotland’s iconic national stadium. Following in the footsteps of renowned international venues, such as The Barclays Center in New York, Hampden Park will now be known as Barclays Hampden.


After sealing partnerships with two of the UK’s most celebrated venues, as the founding Partner of Co-op Live in Manchester and Principal Partner of The O2 in London earlier this year, Barclays continues to expand its sports and entertainment portfolio. Barclays Hampden demonstrates the bank’s ongoing commitment to Scotland.


Barclays has already awarded more than 300 grants to Scottish grassroots football clubs through its Community Sport Fund over the last four years alone. Barclays Hampden will now play a pivotal role in supporting the next generation of Scottish talent.


The stadium will also host some of the world’s biggest music acts, including Take That, Metallica, and Calvin Harris, during Summer 2026. To celebrate the partnership, Barclays will open a dedicated hospitality suite later next year, offering customers and clients an exclusive experience at the heart of the action.


Barclays will also become a partner of the Men’s and Women’s Scottish Cup and serve as the official naming rights partner of the Barclays Next Gen Girls' Performance Programme, which provides clubs with tailored performance programmes to support the development of Scotland’s young talent. This initiative cements Barclays’ ongoing commitment to supporting equal access to football for girls.


For more than 25 years, Barclays has been a driving force for progress in football, from being the Official Banking Partner to the Premier League to leading record-breaking investments in women’s football across the UK, including the Barclays Women’s Super League, the Barclays Women’s Championship, as well as the Northern Irish Women’s Football Association, Scottish Women’s Football’s (SWF) Championship and League One. Its work in crucial grassroots football initiatives has seen millions of pounds of investment and tangible change to hundreds of thousands of individuals needing better access to the beautiful game – from providing equal access for girls to football in schools through the Barclays Girls’ Football in Schools network, to providing grants and support to underrepresented groups in the community through the Barclays Community Sport Fund and more.


Barclays has consistently delivered unforgettable experiences in sports, music and the arts. From 90,000 fans watching Mariah Carey at the Capital Summertime Ball with Barclaycard, to the perfect serve at Wimbledon, or a standing ovation at Sadlers’ Wells, Barclays connects people with the moments they love, creating shared experiences that matter. Barclays Hampden is the next chapter in that story.


Tom Corbett, Managing Director of Sponsorship and Client Experience at Barclays, said:

“We are thrilled to be ending the year with the addition of the Scottish home of football to our partnership portfolio. Hampden is a fantastic venue in a fantastic city, and this new partnership will enable us to further support the next generation of football fans and players.”

Stephen Flaherty, Scotland Site Lead and CTO & Head of Group Technology Infrastructure Services at Barclays, said:

“Our partnership with the Scottish Football Association is a reflection of Barclays continued investment in the UK and Scotland. With over 7,000 colleagues across our Scottish campuses, one of only two locations globally that has every business function represented, Scotland is central to our long-term strategy."

"This partnership is yet another milestone as we continue to drive commercial growth, expand resources for Scottish businesses, and offer greater choice in the market. Partnering with the Scottish FA further cements our ambition, and in a year like this we could not be happier to enter this partnership and cheer on our teams to further glory.”


Ian Maxwell, Chief Executive at Scottish FA said:

“We’re excited to have Barclays on board as Naming Partner of Barclays Hampden. Their desire to support Scottish football – across the levels – has been clear. The impact of their investment will be felt within the walls of Barclays Hampden and far beyond – not least helping fuel the kind of programmes we run that harness the Power of Football and make an everyday impact in Scottish society.”


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