The LV= Cup
LV= sponsors the LV= Cup, rugby’s Anglo-Welsh tournament, the joint competition managed by the Rugby Football Union (RFU) and Welsh Rugby Union (WRU).
The initial two-year deal for the LV= Cup, with an option to renew for a further two years, will build on LV=’s existing investment in Rugby Union and also complement its LV= County Championship sponsorship in cricket.¹
The high profile LV= Cup is a 16-team competition involving the 12 English Guinness Premiership clubs and four Welsh regional teams. This year’s competition commences on 5 November 2009 and the final will be played in March 2010 at a neutral venue to be confirmed. The eventual winner, if an English club, will gain a place in the Heineken Cup for next season.
The tournament already has a broadcaster, with Sky Sports committed to promoting the LV= Cup. They will screen one live match per round, plus the semi-finals and final, for the next five years. The competition also has a committed supporter base with an average of 8,500 spectators at each pool game over the last three years, and 55,000 attending last April’s final at Twickenham Stadium.
The RFU, WRU and LV=, as well as Premier Rugby Limited (PRL) and Regional Rugby Wales, which oversee the teams playing in the competition, have all jointly committed to extensively promote the LV= Cup using existing channels and media.