2008 Sponsor of the Year over US$500,000, Team

Nic Fletcher, Head of Sport Sponsorship at O2

"O2 are extremely proud of their England rugby sponsorship and to support the game at all levels from grassroots to glory. The Never Surrender Rugby World Cup 2007 campaign embodied the passion both fans and a principle sponsor like O2 feel towards the sport and the England team specifically. It is great to be recognised by the Rugby Business Awards in its inaugural year and in such prestigious global company."

2008 Sponsor of the Year over US$500,000, Tournament

Lee Bailey, Sponsorship Manager at Diageo GB:

“On behalf of all at Guinness I was delighted to accept the Rugby Business Award for Best Tournament Sponsor (over $500,000).

Winning awards is not why you go to work every day but the fact that your activity, which has been activated to positively impact your consumers, has been demonstrably effective and delivered a positive impact on the sport that you sponsor and has been recognised and favourably compared to the other fantastic sponsors in our sport, is something to be immensely proud of.

Whilst the Guinness Premiership is a big sponsorship in terms of scale, the success of the activity only matters if you are successful enough in reaching out to all of your target consumers and delivering on the stretching objectives that you set.

The Rugby Expo and Rugby Business Awards were a great addition to the rugby calendar and hopefully the start of something that will endure.”

2008 Sponsor of the Year under US$500,000

Jonathan Neill, Sponsorship PR Director at Generate Sponsorship, The Co-operative’s retained sponsorship and leverage agency, said: “We were absolutely delighted that The Co-operative won the Sponsor of the Year at the Rugby Business Awards.

“We worked hard to keep The Co-operative’s ‘Good For Everyone’ brand values at the heart of our activity and give something back to all the key stakeholders in the sport, whether that be The RFL, clubs, players, media and fans.

“It was tremendous news for rugby league in general to be recognised at a dual code national awards ceremony. It’s testament to rugby league that the judges saw the value that sponsors like The Co-operative can gain from the sport by being proactive in their approach and utilising all the support that is provided within the game.

“We also firmly believe that the best sponsorships don’t need to be the most expensive ones, and The Co-operative’s involvement with rugby league is an excellent example of that.
“The Rugby Business Awards is a highly prestigious ceremony and it’s superb for The Co-operative to receive recognition from within the industry and a highly respected and qualified judging panel. We’ve actually integrated our ‘winners’ status within the sponsorship to tell rugby league about the success, with for instance match day programmes and media guides now highlighting the win with full page adverts.

“We’re looking forward to building on this success and further demonstrating The Co-operative’s commitment to rugby league in 2009.”

2008 Rugby Correspondent of the Year

Here is what Mick Cleary had to say about the 2008 awards:

"The Rugby Business Awards were a success story. It's not easy to draw people from all different strands but that was certainly the feel of the two day congress in London. The Awards themselves were varied and well-considered. Needless to say, they were celebrated long into the night. I think it's important that rugby addresses a cross-section of the market not just its traditional constituency. There are a lot of people working in the industry, and a lot of different types either involved in it or associated with it. The Awards reach out to a new marketplace."

Mick Cleary, Rugby Union Correspondent, The Daily Telegraph

2008 Rugby Business Person of the Year

Following the success of the inaugural Rugby Business Awards many may have predicted that the work of 02, Magners and Guinness would be successful, there were surprises and giant-slayers amongst the winners, not least in the form of the WRU claiming the ‘Union of the Year’ accolade.

Below is a testimonial from one of 2008 winners:

"Winning the Rugby Business Person of the Year award has meant a great deal to me personally and to Rhino Rugby. I was overwhelmed by the number of congratulatory emails and calls I had from contacts and friends in the industry, and it has helped consolidate our business profile as a market leading brand in both rugby codes. I am extremely proud to be the first winner of this award and the trust that the awards themselves and the event surrounding them will go from strength to strength in coming years."

Reg Clark, Chief Executive of Rhino Rugby Ltd