Telecommunications company Vodafone has agreed a multi-year deal with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) which will seek to make Principality Stadium the most connected stadium in the world, along with backing women’s and girls’ rugby in Wales.
Under the agreement announced today (Wednesday), Vodafone becomes the founding principal partner of women and girls’ rugby in Wales and a digital transformation partner to the national stadium in Cardiff.
The company will seek to use innovative tech solutions and Vodafone 5G to bring fans closer to the action, with the ultimate goal of making Principality Stadium the most connected stadium in the world.
Vodafone will work with the WRU to support the continued growth of women’s rugby, with the aim of reaching over 10,000 female players in Wales by 2026 through continued investment in grassroots clubs and programmes.
The partnership will allow the WRU to further develop its elite female pathway, through expanded talent identification and development initiatives and by supporting the Wales Women U20 and U18 programmes to discover more promising young players and provide effective routes to the highest level of the sport.
As part of the deal, Vodafone will be front-of-shirt sponsor for Wales Women. The landmark sponsorship of Wales Women intends to mark the first step in a growing partnership between Vodafone and the WRU to develop Welsh rugby.
WRU CEO, Steve Phillips, said: “This partnership and the initiatives it will support will have a directly positive impact on participation levels in community rugby, where we aim to produce over 10,000 players by 2026. It will provide significant help to the development of the next generation of female players.
“We are also looking forward to seeing how Vodafone can work with us to create unique experiences for supporters at Principality Stadium, with the aim of bringing fans even closer to the action than ever before in what is an incredibly exciting time for us.”
The announcement follows Vodafone’s role as official connectivity partner of Wimbledon, a deal announced in January, and lead partner of the British & Irish Lions for the 2022 tour to South Africa.
Vodafone UK’s consumer director, Max Taylor, added: “It is such an exciting time for women’s sport and with the Women’s Rugby World Cup just around the corner I am incredibly proud to announce our new partnership with the WRU.
“We’ll work with them to support the growth of Welsh rugby from the grassroots up. This is only the first step in our partnership with the WRU. We can’t wait to get started and for what’s to come.”
