The Queensland Rugby Union is delighted to announce a two-year extension to its major partnership with Santos which extends a relationship first commenced in 2019.
The extension is a powerful demonstration of the long-term investment in Rugby across Australia by Santos at a grassroots, provincial and national level.
The range of notable support from Santos extends to the QRU, Rugby Australia and NSW Waratahs plus the Narrabri Blue Boars and Roma Echidnas amongst many grassroots teams and competitions.
The partnership will see the Santos logo proudly displayed on the top-back of the playing and training jerseys for the Queensland Reds Super Rugby Pacific, Super Rugby Women’s and Next Gen 7s teams.
The QRU works alongside Santos as the key delivery partners for the annual Santos Festival of Rugby, a celebration of Rugby which rotates annually between Narrabri and Roma. The regional Rugby and community showcase sees Queensland and New South Wales compete in Super Rugby AUS, women’s, sevens and age-group matches.
Another key feature of the Festival of Rugby, which celebrated its sixth edition in Roma on September 17 and 18, has been former players showing the spirit of Rugby by competing for the Vintage Reds and/or Classic Wallabies against the local clubs after a coaching clinic.
In an exciting addition to the partnership, Santos will also work with the QRU to revitalise a new-look Santos Reds To Regions experience, building off the successful pre-COVID tours which saw Reds players, staff and alumni spread the rugby gospel to country communities around the state.
Santos will also continue to be the naming rights partner to the Santos Rookies2Reds clinics, Santos Western 7s, Santos Q7s and Santos State 7s (Caslick Cup and Stannard Shield).
Santos Managing Director and CEO Kevin Gallagher said he was proud to extend Santos’ partnership with Queensland Rugby Union, continuing long-standing support for rugby from the grassroots through to the elite level.
“Sport has a unique ability to bring people together, and through initiatives like the Santos Festival of Rugby and Reds To Regions, we’re helping strengthen communities and bring first-rate rugby experiences to the regions,” said Mr Gallagher.
“We look forward to continuing to work with Queensland Rugby to grow the game and create lasting benefits for the community.”
Queensland Rugby Union Chief Executive David Hanham hailed the strength of the relationships between the QRU and Santos as the hallmark of the partnership extension.
“The QRU and Santos love working together and are committed to delivering best-in-class partnerships alongside one another,” Hanham said.
“The relationships which we have built with Kevin Gallagher and the entire Santos team are first class. Their care for our organisation and passion for investing in the game in Queensland is second to none.
“The Santos Festival of Rugby is one of the most outstanding regional activations of professional sport in Australia, and watching our teams work for months in advance and then deliver this great event is something that we are extremely proud of.
“I want to thank Santos for their unwavering belief in our vision, to be one of the world’s greatest Rugby provinces. Their investment and faith in our ability to deliver upon that strategic objective, whilst aligning with their vision, is important to us.”
