Our new partnership with Premiership Rugby and why it aligns with our mission

Exciting news – we’ve joined forces with Premiership Rugby in our first ever sports partnership. 

Funding Circle decided to partner with England’s topflight league primarily because our missions are aligned. Small businesses are at the heart of the clubs, and Premiership Rugby is committed to using rugby and its values to create better outcomes for communities.

Clubs are supported by small businesses – be it jewellers, cobblers, local breweries, cleaning companies, or financial advisors – both behind the scenes and on match days. There’s a strong entrepreneurial spirit at the heart of the game too, with many players building their own businesses throughout their playing careers – these can be anything from coffee roasters to TV production to EV-charging for cars.

Many of these business success stories will also be showcased through a mini-content series we’re producing over the coming months.

The Premiership is also a great fit for us because of the similarities between our SME audience and their fanbase. Jo Casley, Brand Director at Funding Circle, explained: “We know that a high proportion of SME owners follow rugby, and the Premiership’s fanbase is a good match with the small business owners who look to Funding Circle for business finance.

“We’re very excited to build Funding Circle’s brand awareness amongst this important audience – both the 1.8 million fans who go to a game each season, and the 20 million+ who watch on TV.”

Our sponsorship is now live and you’ll be able to see us feature during the 2022/23 season – with branding at over 140 matches, and more than 60 matches shown live on BT Sport and ITV. We’re also hoping that by widening out to this audience, we’ll be able to connect with more businesses and help them get the funding they need to go further this year. 

Alexander Allen, UK Managing Director at Funding Circle said: “Like Premiership Rugby, we are all about helping local communities and businesses thrive, on and off the pitch. Our ethos is built around helping small businesses win at what they do – and we aim to bring that experience to everyone involved in Premiership Rugby.”