Mitre 10 unveiled as new sponsor of national provincial rugby competitions

Mitre 10 unveiled as new sponsor of national provincial rugby competitions

• Teams to compete in Mitre 10 Cup, Mitre 10 Heartland Championship and Mitre 10 Women’s Provincial Championship from 2016
• Five year partnership through to 2020
• 81 stores and 5,000 employees to get behind competitions

New Zealand-owned home improvement and garden retailer, Mitre 10 will sponsor men’s and women’s national provincial rugby competitions from 2016 through to 2020.

Mitre 10 will be the new title sponsor for the national domestic championship, formerly known as the ITM Cup and the Heartland Championship which was previously supported by Pink Batts.

With the inclusion of the Women’s Provincial Championship and support of the Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under 19 tournament, Mitre 10 becomes the first sponsor of all major fifteens domestic rugby competitions in New Zealand.

NZR Chief Executive Steve Tew said the partnership with Mitre 10 would provide benefit across both men and women’s provincial rugby, and reflected an exciting commitment to the domestic game.

“Mitre 10 is an iconic New Zealand company with a great number of staff over its 80 stores and connects with hundreds of thousands of Kiwis every year. They clearly love their rugby and are a perfect fit for our game.

“By backing our major domestic competitions and the Jock Hobbs Memorial National Under 19 tournament, Mitre 10 will establish themselves as a committed supporter of  rugby in New Zealand through to 2020.”

Mitre 10 General Manager Marketing Dave Elliott agreed the partnership with NZR was a strong fit with the values that the company admires.

“As a 100 per cent New Zealand owned and operated business, we’re dead keen on supporting Kiwi activities and rugby is definitely one of these,” Mr Elliott said. “We’re proud to be able to do our bit to help the domestic game get even stronger and provide a platform for the finest players to emerge.

“Rugby, particularly at the domestic level, reflects so many of the traits that we value at Mitre 10: commitment, passion, satisfaction in getting the job done, a sense of community and a large dose of Kiwi-ness.”

Mitre 10 is currently working with NZR to explore ways it can engage and assist grassroots rugby communities through the partnership.

“This is not just about supporting the game at the top level, but getting stuck in and seeing the game thrive at the grassroots as well,” Mr Elliott said.

Mr Elliott said the competition will give Mitre 10 and Mitre 10 MEGA stores great exposure right across the country.

“We know that rugby is closely followed by fans throughout New Zealand, and we’re proud to be associated with these competitions,” Mr Elliott said.

Steve Tew also paid tribute to outgoing sponsors ITM and Pink Batts for their support of the national provincial competitions.

“New Zealand Rugby is grateful for the enthusiastic support of ITM since 2010 as it helped showcase our national provincial championship and also thankful for Pink Batts sponsorship of heartland rugby since 2013.

“2016 presents new opportunities for our competitions to really engage with fans and we look forward to working with Mitre 10 to showcase our game and the provincial pride that exists throughout the country.”