Deloitte has extended its deal with Ulster Rugby as the lead sponsor of the Ulster Women’s team, the Ulster U18 Girls team, and Ulster Rugby’s women’s domestic competitions for another two years.
Both the Ulster Women and U18 Girls squads are in the final stages of preparations for the eagerly anticipated 2021 interprovincial series, following a year’s absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The senior team will kick off their campaign on Saturday 28 August, hosting Munster at the Kingspan Stadium. They will then face away trips to Leinster and Connacht in Rounds 2 and 3.
Ulster U18 Girls will face the same opposition on the same weekends, with the full details of the fixtures still to be confirmed.
At domestic level, 2021/22 will see the largest-ever number of teams competing in the provincial league and cup competitions, while the showpiece Deloitte Women’s Junior Cup Final is once again set to be played at the home of Ulster Rugby, Kingspan Stadium.
Commenting on the announcement of the renewal, Jonny Petrie, Ulster Rugby CEO, said: “Since Deloitte first came on board in 2017, women’s and girls’ rugby has developed into the fastest growing area of our game, and we are delighted to continue on this journey with such an invested and passionate sponsor.
“Like Ulster Rugby, Deloitte has a strong commitment to diversity, opportunity and excellence, so I am excited to see how we can continue to work together to grow the female game at both elite and grassroots level over the next two years.”
Jackie Henry, Office Senior Partner at Deloitte in Northern Ireland and Managing Partner for People and Purpose at Deloitte UK said: “The sponsorship is a perfect fit with Deloitte’s commitment to support sport at all levels and aligns to the core value of diversity and inclusion.
“We are really proud and excited to be renewing our sponsorship of these Ulster Rugby teams.”
Chris Sloan, Partner at Deloitte who is leading on the sponsorship said: “It is hugely encouraging to see Ulster Rugby prioritising the growth of the women’s and girls’ game and putting in place both plans to increase female participation in rugby, and pathways and other mechanisms to boost team performance.
“We want to play our part in supporting the development of the sport in Northern Ireland and helping boost the team’s performance.
“Maintaining the naming rights for all domestic competitions means we’ll be able to keep supporting the game at a grassroots level and hopefully introduce rugby to more young people, who may well be looking to give new sports a try as pandemic restrictions ease.
“There is a real buzz around female sport at the moment and this sponsorship renewal reinforces our support for diversity for all genders and for all sporting levels.”
Deloitte’s sponsorship also includes the naming rights to the following domestic competitions:
League Competitions:
- Ulster Rugby Premiership
- Ulster Rugby Championship
- Ulster Rugby Conference
Cup Competitions:
- Junior Cup
- Junior Shield
- Suzanne Fleming Cup
- Suzanne Fleming Shield
