top of page

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.

Most Read

Lambing Days Return To Hampshire Farm Shop

Lambing Days Return To Hampshire Farm Shop

Westlands Farm Shop, near Wickham, has announced the return of its highly anticipated Lambing Days, following a complete sell-out across all four days last year.

St Austell Brewery Partners With Student-Run Microbrewery

St Austell Brewery Partners With Student-Run Microbrewery

A leading independent brewer has partnered with a student run microbrewery to produce 500 casks of the students’ popular stout for this year’s Wetherspoon Spring Beer Festival.

New Data Reveals £3.3bn Cost Of Sub-100k Sq Ft Inventory Shortage

New Data Reveals £3.3bn Cost Of Sub-100k Sq Ft Inventory Shortage

An industry report by leading I&L property company Potter Space, in partnership with Savills, has revealed the scale of a decade of undersupply of sub-100k sq ft I&L space, also referred to as small to mid-box.

Categories

  • Jun 27, 2023
  • 2 min read

Fabrication and Welding apprentices at Castleford College showed off their vast welding skills, as they took part in the SkillsWeld 2023 qualifiers. This saw apprentices complete four separate tests covering the three main types of welding processes - gas tungsten arc welding, stick welding and metal insert gas welding.


Castleford College apprentices Benjamin Mace, Dale Robinson, Korey Wigglesworth, Paisley Mitchell, Oscar Emery and Zack Newall represented the North East, with student Kalum Smart representing Yorkshire and Humberside.


Once the competition was completed, Stephen Haymes, from Engineering Skills Competitions, Clive Slocombe, from Code A Weld and Chris Porter, from Air Products, presented the apprentices with their certificates.


Kalum Smart took home the first prize, with Korey Wigglesworth placing second and Dale Robinson third. The winners all received a bag of supplies to help them with their studies by Air Products and Code A Weld, who are both sponsors of the SkillsWeld 2023 competition.


Oscar Emery, Level 3 Fabrication and Welding Apprentice with Yorkshire and Laser Fabrication, said: “Taking part in the SkillsWeld qualifiers really challenged my knowledge and skillset within welding and the different types of it. It was great to be able to apply the knowledge I’m learning day-to-day within my Apprenticeship to the tests. I always knew that I wanted to do an Apprenticeship once I’d finished school, as I wanted to earn whilst I learnt and be able to learn in a hands-on, practical environment.”

Lucas Moon, who is also a Fabrication and Welding Apprentice with Yorkshire and Laser Fabrication, placed in the top four for Welding at the WorldSkills UK 2022 competition.


Following his performance, Lucas has been selected to train on the squad for Great Britain’s Welding team and will compete in the European World Skills finals in Poland, in September 2023. He will then go on to the 47th WorldSkills competition in Lyon in France, in September 2024.


Gary Wright, Fabrication and Welding Lecturer at Castleford College, said: “Lucas is a shining example of the success of the SkillsWeld competition, with him now placing in the top three Welders in the UK for under 25-year-olds. The competition is a fantastic way for our apprentices to further test and develop their welding skills and is a great addition to their CV. Myself and fellow tutors within the Engineering department are incredibly proud of them for taking part in the qualifiers and hope that we will have a number of apprentices at the national finals.”

Held by WorldSkills and Engineering Skills Competitions, SkillsWeld is aimed at trainee and apprentice welders working and/or training in the welding industry at Level 2-3 or a higher level.

Most Read

Lambing Days Return To Hampshire Farm Shop

Lambing Days Return To Hampshire Farm Shop

Westlands Farm Shop, near Wickham, has announced the return of its highly anticipated Lambing Days, following a complete sell-out across all four days last year.

St Austell Brewery Partners With Student-Run Microbrewery

St Austell Brewery Partners With Student-Run Microbrewery

A leading independent brewer has partnered with a student run microbrewery to produce 500 casks of the students’ popular stout for this year’s Wetherspoon Spring Beer Festival.

New Data Reveals £3.3bn Cost Of Sub-100k Sq Ft Inventory Shortage

New Data Reveals £3.3bn Cost Of Sub-100k Sq Ft Inventory Shortage

An industry report by leading I&L property company Potter Space, in partnership with Savills, has revealed the scale of a decade of undersupply of sub-100k sq ft I&L space, also referred to as small to mid-box.

Categories

Nottingham Business Drives Success As Investment Pays Off

Nottingham Business Drives Success As Investment Pays Off

Investment in a Nottingham based motor dealership is driving sales, service and recruitment through the roof after a newly launched van centre achieved 60 sales in just six weeks, smashing its annual target.

New Hire Boosts Azets Restructuring And Insolvency Team

New Hire Boosts Azets Restructuring And Insolvency Team

UK top 10 accountancy firm Azets has appointed a new insolvency practitioner on the South Coast as business demand grows.

Lifetime Achievement Award Caps Glory Night For University

Lifetime Achievement Award Caps Glory Night For University

Professor Sir Mike Ferguson, one of Scotland’s pre-eminent scientists, was recognised for his outstanding research career when he received a Lifetime Achievement Award during a night of celebration for the University of Dundee.

Recent Posts

bottom of page