More American influence on the cards as English Premiership gets new sponsor

According to a report on theguardian.com, US insurance giant Arthur J. Gallagher & Co is set to become the new title sponsor of the Premiership.

The competition, which has been sponsored by Aviva since 2010 and signed a one-year extension to that deal last summer, has been actively searching for new sponsorship opportunities, with the Anglo-Welsh Cup currently without a title sponsor.

Arthur J. Gallagher & Co is a company based in Illinois and should this deal be confirmed, it raises the possibility of the Premiership’s annual fixture in the US being moved from New York to Chicago, a city which has successfully hosted a number of high-profile rugby events previously, including Ireland’s historic win over New Zealand in 2016.

The Guardian article states that the two teams involved in the annual US fixture next season will likely be Harlequins and Sale Sharks and that the fixture will be played on April 6th, 2019.

This avoids a clash with the NFL season, as well as US rugby commitments, which plagued the showcase game this season. After London Irish vs Saracens drew over 14,000 in 2016, Saracens vs Newcastle Falcons only managed to break the 6,000 mark in 2017. Crucially, the 2016 game was played in March, whilst the 2017 fixture was played in September, directly competing with the start of the new NFL season.

It is unknown which side will be the “home” team for the contest, with Quins having increased their influence and involvement in US rugby over the last few years. That said, Sale struggle to attract big crowds at their home stadium, the AJ Bell, so a relocation of one of their home fixtures could be a lucrative proposition.

The Premiership has made no secret of their desire to grow their brand in the US and by agreeing a deal with Arthur J. Gallagher & Co, that would further increase their footprint across the Atlantic.

With the TOP 14 broadcast deal surpassing that of the Premiership and the Guinness PRO14 recently expanding and looking at further opportunities in new territories, this would be welcome news for the Premiership, whose financial vulnerability has been the subject of much discussion over the last few weeks.