The Treble Group UK is delighted to announce that Ecowatt – a blockchain-powered renewable energy company – has joined forces with Southampton Football Club as their Official Training Kit Partner for the remainder of the 2022/2023 season. The Treble Group UK facilitated in brokering the partnership, which will see the Ecowatt brand emblazoned on the Men’s First Team, B Team and Women’s First Team training kits, and will be making an appearance for the first time at the Men’s English Premier League clash against Newcastle United on Saturday. Ecowatt buys and builds renewable power stations to expand the supply rapidly, whilst simultaneously funding projects that are key drivers in removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The innovative green investment platform has two main portfolios: The Green Asset portfolio and the Impact Portfolio. Within the near future, through leveraging innovative technologies such as blockchain and tokens, Ecowatt will make investing in sustainable energy solutions accessible and profitable for everyone. Southampton Football Club is on a mission to be Carbon Neutral by 2030. The club was recently shortlisted for the inaugural BBC Sports Green Awards for the work they have been doing around their sustainability strategy, ‘The Halo Effect’, which saw them rise from 18th to 3rd in the Sports Positive Premier League sustainability table. As part of the partnership, Southampton FC and Ecowatt will work on a joint project together to help the club reduce its overall carbon emissions, with more details to be announced soon. Sarah Batters, Director of Partnerships and Marketing for Southampton Football Club said: “We are proud to be partnering with Ecowatt, an organisation which understands the issues around climate change and is making it easy, fast, and convenient for anyone to contribute to climate action in whatever way they can. “As a club we are fully committed to ensuring a sustainable future for our fans and community, so we support Ecowatt’s mission, and we look forward to working together throughout the season to better our planet.” Thomas Puskas, Founder & CEO of Ecowatt said: “We believe that innovative investment will save the world. We are thrilled to work with this club which has such a genuine and meaningful commitment towards becoming more sustainable and we’re looking forward to accelerating the change with them” Lauren Haworth, Global Marketing Director of Ecowatt said: “this partnership gets to the heart of what real branding is really about, authentic collaborations between brands that share similar values. We are so excited to work with Southampton, and together we can make a real tangible difference through more sustainability initiatives that benefit the club, the fans and the planet.” To find out more about Ecowatt click here About Southampton Football Club Southampton Football Club is a professional football club that plays in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Based in Hampshire, on England’s south coast, the club plays its home games in the 32,000 capacity St Mary’s Stadium, a stone’s throw from St Mary’s Church, where the club was formed in 1885. Nicknamed ‘The Saints’, the club’s proudest moment came in 1976 when they beat Manchester United 1-0 in the FA Cup Final at Wembley Stadium. After a seven-year absence, the club returned to the Premier League in 2012 following successive promotions from League One and the Championship. Having been named one of the world’s fastest-growing football club brands in 2015, the club went on to achieve its highest-ever Premier League finish of sixth in 2016 to secure European qualification for a second consecutive season. Proud of its 136-year heritage, but constantly moving forward, the club is renowned for doing things differently and using its strong set of guiding principles to turn potential into excellence, both on and off the pitch. About Treble Treble is a global sports marketing agency specialising in securing successful brand partnerships for 25 years. Our expertise and deep relationships with global brands and rights holders help you navigate the exciting and complex world of sports marketing to secure the right partnership and deliver real value.  Get in touch to learn more about how we can help you achieve lasting, tangible results from sports sponsorship.

The Treble UK office is proud to share that Qatar Airways has announced its newest sport partnership as the Official Airline Partner of the BKT United Rugby Championship (Vodacom URC in South Africa) and Official South African Airline Partner for European Professional Club Rugby. The World’s Best Airline, known for supporting sports globally, has entered into multi-year agreements with three top rugby organisations in recognition of the growth and passion demonstrated by rugby fans in key travel markets across Western Europe and South Africa. Treble Group UK MD, Kyle Nel, and his team played a vital role in helping push this partnership to realisation. Professional and tenacious the whole way through, that realisation will stand this burgeoning competition in good stead as it continues to grow exponentially. The BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) is one of three major professional rugby leagues in Europe, involving teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, Wales and now South Africa. The most successful teams from each league also go on to compete in the Heineken Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup against teams from the domestic leagues in England and France. For the first time in history both competitions, organised by EPCR, will include South African teams. Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker, said: “At Qatar Airways, we bring the world and communities together – through travel, of course, but also through sport. Today, we continue that mission by providing greater access to fans to watch their favourite teams compete, and supporting URC players and coaches and South African teams competing in EPCR competitions as they make cross-hemisphere trips via Doha to match destinations.” The three-year partnership kicked-off today with a celebration at Hamad International Airport in Doha. Inside the Qatar Airways Al Safwa First Class Lounge, His Excellency Mr. Akbar Al Baker was joined by Martin Anayi, Chief Executive Officer of the URC, Anthony Lepage, Chief Executive Officer of the EPCR, Mark Alexander, President of the South Africa Rugby Union, Ali Price, scrum-half of the Glasgow Warriors and Johan Goosen, full-back of the Vodacom Bulls, to commemorate the partnership. Martin Anayi, chief executive officer of the United Rugby Championship, said: “Our league has greatly broadened its horizons in the past 12 months and we are honoured that Qatar Airways have become one of our key partners. Travel is at the heart of all of our competitions and this partnership will allow us to tap into the incredible expertise and knowledge available at Qatar Airways as they support our teams and fans on their journeys to some of the biggest games of the season.” Qatar Airways are also partnering with SA Rugby as an associate sponsor of the competition in the southern hemisphere and their involvement was welcomed by Jurie Roux, Chief Executive Officer of SA Rugby: “I have no doubt that Doha will become a very familiar and welcoming staging post for all our teams and staff. We are delighted to welcome Qatar to the family and to share this amazing new rugby journey literally and figuratively with them over the coming years.” Anthony Lepage, Chief Executive Officer of EPCR, added: “We are very pleased to welcome Qatar Airways as our South African Airline Partner and enter into this partnership alongside the URC. As we welcome five South African clubs into the Heineken Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, the support from Qatar Airways will be key in helping players and coaches travel to face new competition from clubs in England and France. We are entering a new global phase of our competitions and Qatar Airways will play a key part in delivering the pinnacle of club rugby competitions to more audiences than ever before. As part of the partnership, Qatar Airways will support the BKT URC (URC) and EPRC grow the game globally and will soon be offering URC all-inclusive Travel Packages with Flights, hotels and match tickets. Rugby is one of the fastest growing sports in the United States and across Africa, Asia and the Middle East for both men and women. Adding the BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) and European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) to its already extensive sports portfolio solidifies Qatar Airways as a brand committed to supporting sport across the globe. Qatar Airways is a leading global football supporter including FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™, Paris Saint-Germain, FC Bayern München, Concacaf, CONMEBOL. Additionally, Qatar Airways is the official airline of The Ironman and Ironman 70.3 Triathlon Series, GKA Kite World Tour and multiple equestrianism, padel, squash and tennis events. About Treble Treble is a global sports marketing agency specialising in securing successful brand partnerships for 25 years. Our expertise and deep relationships with global brands and rights holders help you navigate the exciting and complex world of sports marketing to secure the right partnership and deliver real value.  Get in touch to learn more about how we can help you achieve lasting, tangible results from sports sponsorship.

The bold new world of the United Rugby Championship will fly under the banner of Vodacom following the announcement today that the African communications giant has dialled in as South African title sponsor for the new tournament for the next four years. In South Africa the competition will be known as the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, which kicks off on 24 September as the North and South collide in what promises to be an intriguing and spectacular new global rugby competition. Vodacom continue their long association with top-flight franchise rugby in South Africa with a new-look competition that will feature 16 teams from five countries, battling it out over 144 matches to reach the eight-team play-offs in a season that will extend over eight months until the final in June. “The United Rugby Championship heralds an exciting new era for South African rugby that will bring us closer to our friends in the northern hemisphere, and we’re delighted to confirm our long-standing partner, Vodacom, as the title sponsor in the southern hemisphere,” said Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby. “This is an exciting new venture and promises to deliver international club rugby of the highest standard that will benefit South African rugby in the long run and it was typical of Vodacom’s vision that they didn’t hesitate in taking the opportunity to partner with us. “We’ve been exposed to club rugby from the north for a while now, but the Vodacom United Rugby Championship is a bold step into a brand-new era of franchise rugby for South Africa, in a competition that will reshape the global game. “The possibilities for the future reflect a gear shift for rugby in South Africa as well as on the north-south axis. As we’ve seen with the recent British & Irish Lions tour, our teams will be facing some of the best players in the world, testing their skills against some of the strongest club sides and going toe-to-toe with master tacticians on a weekly basis.” << WATCH THE LAUNCH VIDEO HERE >> Michelle van Eyden, Head of Sponsorship at Vodacom, said: “Since 1996, when our involvement with Vodacom Super Rugby began, top-flight rugby featuring the best teams with the world’s best players has been ingrained into Vodacom’s DNA. “As world rugby moved from the amateur to professional era and then into a time of incredible global growth, Vodacom has supported the game’s journey at every step. “The Vodacom United Rugby Championship is yet another evolution of our proud association with the very best that rugby has to offer, and we look forward to again providing the platform upon which a new era of north-south competition can set a new benchmark in excellence for the game.” The new Vodacom United Rugby Championship will be divided into four pools – a South African Pool, Irish Pool (Leinster, Munster, Ulster, Connacht), Welsh Pool (Ospreys, Cardiff, Scarlets, Dragons) and Scotland-Italy Pool (Benetton, Edinburgh, Zebre, Glasgow). Each team will play 18 regular season games – nine at home and nine away – and all the sides will face each other at least once during the league phase of the competition, which will include double-rounds of local derbies before the top eight teams qualify for the playoffs. Martin Anayi, CEO of United Rugby Championship, said: “We have the best European clubs in our league, and they as well as their fans are all very aware that we’re now bringing in the South African teams that basically feed the world champion Springboks. “They will be bringing their own brand of big players, strong runner and high-intensity rugby and there is tremendous excitement about that. “We have a team like Leinster who have been European champions so many times, and they were foremost in campaigning for the South African teams to join so that it can challenge them and continue to raise the overall standard.” About Treble  Treble is a global sports marketing agency specialising in securing successful brand partnerships for 25 years. Our expertise and deep relationships with global brands and rights holders help you navigate the exciting and complex world of sports marketing to secure the right partnership and deliver real value.  Get in touch to learn more about how we can help you achieve lasting, tangible results from sports sponsorship.