RFL hoping to get World Cup sponsors hooked on rugby league

The World Cup sponsorship inventory is now full – and the aim is to now get them hooked on rugby league long term, according to RFL commercial manager Rob Singleton.

Gatorade, Thirsty Planet, Singha Beer, Kingstone Press and MyClubBetting all signed up as partners in a frantic last week of sponsorship announcements ahead of the double-header opener at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff at the weekend.

Speaking to Running Rugby, Singleton said: “Our target was to run a successful commercial programme and we have sold all of the inventory that we had available, which is obviously great news for the tournament.

“As far as I’m aware, unless somebody comes to me and says ‘can we do this?’, there are no more announcements to come and it is now down to activating and servicing the sponsors because that is the long-term goal to get these sponsors hooked on rugby league.

“It has been great for the tournament to attract such a range of international partners and for so many, such as Singha, to be new partners to the sport is testament to what has been happening around the Rugby League World Cup.”

Attention now turns to ensuring the 500,000 ticket sales target is reached by the end of the tournament.

A total of 91,247 fans have watched the seven games so far, with large attendances at the semi-finals and final set to significantly boost the numbers.