O2 renews England contract and further entrenches its ownership of Rugby

iSportconnect.com reports that O2 will renew its sponsorship of English Rugby for another 4 years.  The company, owned by Spain's Telefonica, has been a partner of English rugby since the game went professional back in 1995 making it one of the longer running partnerships in Rugby Union.

The obvious commitment of O2 aside, I am impressed by the imaginative ways in which they activate the partnership.  Its strategy is clearly to own rugby at every possible level.

To celebrate the start of the Six Nations Tournament, O2 is renewing its "For England" Pie and Beer offer which proved so successful during the World Cup in 2011.

Wheras previously the campaign was directed to "Priority Moment" customers in the home environment, the idea is now being rolled out to "Priority" customers in participating pubs as well as to the O2 Blue Room hospitality facility at Twickenham Stadium itself.

O2 Blue Room at Twickenham - courtesy of the O2 Website

For home viewers the pack includes 2 pies, 2 beers an an St George flag.  Pub viewers - by means of mobile technology - can redeem their meal at any one of the participating pubs while spectators at Twickenham enjoy the benefits in the O2 Blue Room hospitality suite (where they can meet England players after the game).

O2 will also be sponsoring "Inside Line" on the RFU website - a series of short yet exclusive interviews with players as well as player cam, match analysis and predictions.  Fans can sign up to receive video updates via e-mail.

Other details of the O2 England Rugby Sponsorship:

• O2 supports all England teams from U16 upwards including the England Women's team
• The O2 "Play On" scheme supports and encourages young players to continue playing rugby after they have left school.
• The O2 "Scrum on the Beach" invites people to enjoy the game through the summer months in a variety of participating beach venues around the UK.  The program allows participants to meet and train with their England heroes.

• O2 also sponsors "O2 Touch", a gateway to the game for those interested in keeping fit but avoiding the hard knocks of the full contact version.