Hollis Sponsorship Bulletin

At Kantar Sport
Simon Lincoln is leaving his research manager post at Ipsos MORI to join Kantar Sport. 

At the Rugby Football League
The RFL has strengthened its presence in London with the appointment of Sam Windridge as Business Development Manager in a new commercial office in the capital.
Sam, 27, will be based full time in London at the RFL’s office on the South Bank and joins the organisation after spending five years in commercial sport working for Southampton Football Club and Clipper Ventures.

The RFL has begun its search for a sportswear and sporting apparel company to become the official kit partner of the England Rugby League team. England RL and the RFL currently have an apparel contract with Puma UK which expires at the end of 2010 when England returns from the Four Nations tournament in Australia and New Zealand.

Once in place, the contract will see England wear the new kit from the start of 2011 to 2014, a period which will see the UK host a Four Nations tournament involving England, Australia, New Zealand and one other nation in 2011 and a 14-team Rugby League World Cup in 2013.

The contract will cover all England RL playing kit, training wear, a range of officially licensed replica apparel that will be sold through national and international retailers and apparel for RFL personnel.

The RFL is also inviting responses to an invitation to tender from companies interested in becoming the official kit and apparel suppliers to the sport’s Match Officials department.  Rugby League match officials are some of the most high profile match officials in sport and feature on over 100 televised fixtures on Sky Sports and the BBC every season, offering massive exposure to major brands.

The RFL has secured specialist sports apparel company 2XU as the official suppliers of compression clothing to the England team.   Mike Trees, the Managing Director of 2XU UK, said: “Our association with the RFL and England is the dawn of a new era for 2XU. The opportunity to work with the country’s best Rugby League players, and to develop our products even further to help them to achieve their full potential is a proud moment for 2XU.”