Openreach kicks off four-year sponsorship deal with Ulster Rugby

Openreach has agreed a four-year sponsorship deal with Ulster Rugby - becoming one of the club’s official title sponsors from the beginning of this season. The sponsorship will give Openreach a visible presence with branding across Kingspan Stadium and on the playing kit, with the company securing exclusive rights to have the Openreach logo on the right-hand sleeve of the Ulster Rugby team’s playing jersey, due to be unveiled later this month. Openreach is the engineering team that build and maintain the broadband network in Northern Ireland with most Communications Providers in the region using this open access network to connect their customers to phone, broadband, data and TV services. Openreach’s ambition is to drive Northern Ireland’s digital future through its ‘Fibre First’ programme and it is in the process of rolling out its new future-proof ‘Fibre-to-the-Premises’ (FTTP) broadband technology to homes and businesses. The partnership was announced at Kingspan Stadium by Openreach’s Managing Director in Northern Ireland, Mairead Meyer, who was joined by Craig Gilroy, Alan O’Connor and Sean Reidy from Ulster Rugby. Speaking about the announcement, Mairead Meyer, Managing Director of Openreach in Northern Ireland, said: “We are delighted to come on board as an official partner of Ulster Rugby. In common with the one European rugby’s most prestigious clubs, who use the power of sport and team spirit to connect fans across the globe, Openreach is a team of over 750, connecting people across Northern Ireland to their world – whatever that may be – through our world-class fibre broadband network. “As a company, we’re committed to building the infrastructure that Northern Ireland needs to stay at the forefront of broadband innovation and to compete in the global economy, delivering the best possible digital connectivity to everyone. This four-year contract similarly cements Openreach as one of Ulster Rugby’s biggest supporters and demonstrates our commitment to investing in Northern Ireland. We are excited to partner with Ulster Rugby and will be working closely with them to ensure that fans get the very best experience.” Commenting on the new sponsorship, Jonny Petrie, Chief Executive of Ulster Rugby, said: “We are very pleased that Openreach has chosen to support Ulster Rugby over the next four years. Partnerships of this scale are critical for us as we look to remain competitive within professional rugby, while also developing grassroots participation across the Province. “Ulster Rugby and Openreach are ambitious and innovative organisations, and we share similar objectives in that we want to connect people and make a difference to society, with technology and sport as our key drivers. We are really looking forward to working closely with the team at Openreach and are hugely excited by their plans for the partnership.” For more information about Openreach visit www.openreach.co.uk/ni.