RFU

2 Oct 2023 | 4 min |

England Rugby and Irwin Mitchell renew partnership

Irwin Mitchell have announced the multi-year extension of its agreement as Official Legal Partner to England Rugby.

The continuation of the multi-year agreement, which initially began in 2019, solidifies Irwin Mitchell's commitment to the sports sector and to rugby.

The partnership involves the men's and Red Roses' teams and will see the continuation and development of the ‘Irwin Mitchell Mentoring Club’ in collaboration with the RFU.

This unique programme aims to facilitate the transition and retention of players aged 14 to 18 into the adult game.

By supporting both teams in all their games at Twickenham, Irwin Mitchell will continue to be an ambassador for women’s sport by holding events and creating awareness raising campaigns supporting the RFU with its aim to fill Twickenham for Red Roses fixtures.

Vicky Brackett, Chief Commercial Officer at Irwin Mitchell, said: “Irwin Mitchell’s position as England Rugby’s Official Legal Partner provides an exceptional opportunity for us to elevate our presence and impact in the market.

“The partnership raises our profile and builds our credibility in sport through a variety of channels including stadium advertising, digital campaigns, and exclusive events. It also gives us the opportunity to work closely with clubs, whilst providing valuable support to our communities through the mentoring programme.

“We are thrilled to be continuing this partnership with England Rugby at such an exciting point in the development of women's sport and women's rugby and we are proud to play a part in that journey and the Red Roses’ journey to the tournament being hosted in England in 2025.”

Stuart Ramsey, Commercial Director at the RFU, said: “Collaborating with a partner that shares our aims and vision is really important, from the Irwin Mitchell Mentoring Club, a programme to help rugby players stay in the game, to offering its legal expertise to grassroots clubs and its support for the success of the men’s and women’s senior teams.

"We’re really pleased to be continuing our partnership with Irwin Mitchell and look forward to building on our work together over the next few years.”

Commenting on the growth within Irwin Mitchell’s sports law team, Vicky said: "The reputation of our specialist sports lawyers and financial experts, who advise and support clubs, organisations, sponsors, agencies, governing bodies, and sports people, continues to grow.

"Our aim is to help them create safe, sustainable, well-governed environments where all participants from grass roots to elite level can enjoy sport and feel included.

“Advising across a range of issues including corporate governance, regulation, disciplinary action, real estate and environmental planning, commercial transactions, IP rights, tax and financial planning, our team brings passion and in-depth knowledge combined with pragmatism and clarity. We're excited about the opportunities that our collaboration continues to bring and look forward to continuing our partnership with England Rugby.”

Irwin Mitchell is number one for sports law in the independent Legal 500 rankings and works with a wide range of sports clubs, athletes, and sports industry businesses. Recent successes include working on the successful planning application for Millwall Football Clubs new training facility and advising an England International cricketer on image rights.