Specialist bank Shawbrook and English professional rugby union club Saracens have agreed a new five-year sponsorship deal, extending their current relationship into the 2027/2028 season.
The original deal, signed in 2021 while the club were seeking promotion back to the Premiership, has supported Saracens throughout their rise back to the top of the game. It has seen the men’s team successfully win promotion and reach the final of the men’s Rugby Premiership in 2022, and the women’s Premier 15’s team secure the 2022 title, their third since 2018.
Shawbrook has also announced a deepening of its partnership with Saracens Mavericks Netball, investing further to become the exclusive ‘Lead Partner’ from the 2024 season. This new designation will see Shawbrook featured on both the front and back of the Mavericks playing dress from the February 2024 Netball Super League season.
A key highlight of the deal is the continuation of Shawbrook’s support for the Saracens Foundation, the charitable arm of the Saracens Group, which aims to enrich lives and facilitate positive social change through the values of sport. Shawbrook has worked closely with the Foundation to develop initiatives such as the Empower Her project that develops and promotes female leadership in business and sport as well as projects with Saracens High School, which provides education and support for children in one of the UK’s most underprivileged areas.
In addition, Shawbrook has invested in the Stats Centre platform, with a view to enhancing data availability and analysis for all three Saracens teams. The integration of Saracens Women’s rugby to the platform, with the Mavericks to follow later in the year, marks a key shift in focus and brings more parity for female sport in this important area of the modern game.
Neil Rudge, head of enterprise at Shawbrook, said: “It’s been a pleasure to work alongside the Saracens family for the past three years, supporting all three elite sports teams as well as collaborating with Saracens Foundation across a number of incredible community programmes.
“All three teams have achieved a huge amount on the pitch and the court during the past three years and Shawbrook staff, customers and partners have had the privilege to enjoy some remarkable sporting moments. At Shawbrook we’re particularly excited to see the rapid rise of women’s rugby and netball in terms of both participation and audience numbers.
“Netball is already the largest female sport for participation in the UK and the elite game is rightly attracting rapidly growing audiences for both Super League and International fixtures. Shawbrook has supported Saracens Mavericks over the past three years and we’re now incredibly excited to extend that investment to become the club’s Lead Partner.
“Our collaboration with the Saracens Foundation on the Empower Her project, designed to develop the next generation of female leaders through sport, demonstrates the potential of this partnership to create valuable opportunities for local communities. With the ongoing participation of Shawbrook staff, partners and customers, these initiatives – which now include the Saracens High School – will continue to gather momentum over the next five years.”
Lucy Wray, Saracens CEO, added: “We are extremely happy at Saracens to be extending our relationship with Shawbrook. From the outset of this partnership, Shawbrook has been 100% engaged from the very top of the organisation in how, together, we can have as big a positive impact as possible across women’s sport, equality and inclusion. They are brilliant people.
“To have Shawbrook not only extend its partnership with us but increase its commitment by becoming the new Lead Partner of the Saracens Mavericks Netball team is a true testament to the Bank’s passion for growing the women’s sport.
“At Saracens, we continually look for partners that share in our mission and practice our core values on a daily basis. Shawbrook is a living example of everything that embodies what we at Saracens are trying to achieve.”
