Scottish Rugby has announced a multi-year sponsorship deal with car retailer Arnold Clark.
It replaces another car retailer, Peter Vardy – who signed a four-year deal in 2021 - as the shirt sponsor for the Scotland national team for 2024/25 season.
As well as taking over the shirt sponsorship, Arnold Clark will also take on the title sponsorship of the men’s and women’s Premiership and National Leagues.
Arnold Clark, which has branches across Scotland and is expanding into England and Wales, also provides kit and equipment to youth sports teams through the Arnold Clark Community Fund.
As part of the new sponsorship deal, the company will also provide vehicles to Scottish Rugby employees who work in the community game.
Arnold Clark’s chief operating officer Russell Borrie said: “At Arnold Clark, we understand the positive impact of sport. It’s something that inspires, entertains, and, most importantly, brings people together to play, to watch and to voice their support.
“Through our community fund, we’re proud to support teams at grassroots level and to provide young athletes with the opportunity to develop. And now, as shirt sponsors of the Scotland men’s rugby team, we’re thrilled to empower their successes as they represent Scotland at the highest level.
“This is a partnership built on shared values; both Arnold Clark and the Scottish Rugby are Scottish institutions with proven track records of success.
“We both aim to be the best in our respective fields, and we know there is so much that we can learn from each other. We will share best practices and work closely together to set new standards as we work towards our common goals.
“At Arnold Clark, we invest in people. We upskill our employees, build new careers through apprenticeships, and we work hard to give our customers the best possible experience. This partnership is a significant investment for us – in the players, the coaches, and those who support the team. We believe that rugby is more than just a game; it’s a community – and we’re proud to be a part of it.”
Scottish Rugby said it was unable to say how much the deal is worth or for how long Arnold Clark will be the front-of-shirt sponsors for the Scotland men’s team due to commercial confidentiality.
The new Scotland men’s shirt, complete with Arnold Clark’s sponsorship, will be revealed on Friday.
The new Scotland Women shirt – sponsored by Scottish Gas - that Rachel Malcolm’s team will wear at WXV 2 and the 2025 Women’s Six Nations, will also be revealed on Friday.
Chris Healy, Scottish Rugby commercial director, said: “This new partnership represents an exciting opportunity for both Scottish Rugby and Arnold Clark, who we are delighted to welcome into our family of partners.”
Scottish Rugby’s head of business development, Charlie Simpson, added: “It was clear Arnold Clark has exciting plans to expand its business beyond Scotland and Scottish Rugby provides a highly visible platform to help accelerate that growth both in the UK and beyond.
“Aligning two proud Scottish organisations creates lots of opportunities and we welcome Arnold Clark’s commitment to community sport and desire to make the most of this partnership in the years to come.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Peter Vardy said: “We have been proud to be principal partners of Scottish Rugby for three wonderful years and as our contract comes to an end, we are delighted to see another automotive Scottish Family business become principal partners, congratulations to Arnold Clark.
“We would also like to thank all those at Scottish Rugby, the coaches, players, and the operational teams who made our partnership one of the highlights of our 18 years in business.”
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