Latest news with #DominicMcKay
Al Etihad
03-06-2025
- Business
- Al Etihad
Emirates enters pitch to score landmark partnership with European Professional Club Rugby
3 June 2025 15:13 DUBAI (WAM) Emirates on Tuesday unveiled a multi-year partnership with European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), making it the Premium Partner and Official Airline Partner of the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge partnership with EPCR adds to Emirates' successful and extensive global sponsorship lineup of rugby properties and reinforces its place as one of the premier supporters of high-profile addition of EPCR's Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup to the airline's rugby portfolio will also strategically amplify its presence across the two premier tournaments that showcase elite European and South African clubs, helping connect with over 70 million passionate supporters their joint commitment to rugby's global development and fan engagement, the Emirates-EPCR partnership will seek to enhance the appeal of both tournaments across its global network, in addition to initiatives that support local communities to empower prospective rugby hopefuls and build a future talent airline's newest sponsorship demonstrates its unrivalled dedication to grow and develop the sport at all levels through continuous investment, spanning from grassroots initiatives in its home of the UAE to elite World Rugby competitions, including six consecutive Rugby World Cup Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup tournaments feature 42 clubs from England, France, Georgia, Italy, Ireland, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales – competing each season to clinch the most coveted prize in professional club President & Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates, Adnan Kazim, said, "Emirates is proud of our deep roots in rugby, and partnering with European Professional Club Rugby was a natural next step for us to showcase the brand and drive engagement with loyal fan bases around the world during the most prestigious club competitions. As part of our significant commitment to EPCR, we're also eager to support local initiatives for younger athletes that will make a positive impact both in and out of the pitch.' Chairman of EPCR, Dominic McKay, added, 'All of us at EPCR are delighted Emirates is joining our partnership family as a Premium Partner. Emirates has a long and significant heritage in rugby, and their status and commitment is enhanced by partnering with club rugby's most prestigious tournaments. We're excited to bring the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup to even more audiences around the world through Emirates' showcases. As part of our sustainability strategy, impACT, we are also committed to ensuring the longevity of rugby without negatively impacting the planet, and part of this is supporting more rugby-playing youngsters to develop alongside positive community projects. We are excited to work with Emirates to bring this vision to life.'
Hi Dubai
03-06-2025
- Business
- Hi Dubai
Emirates Secures Multi-Year Deal with European Professional Club Rugby
Emirates has announced a major multi-year partnership with European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), becoming the Premium Partner and Official Airline Partner of the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup. The new deal strengthens Emirates' global rugby footprint and cements its status as a leading supporter of the sport. By aligning with EPCR's two premier tournaments, the Dubai-based airline will tap into a global fanbase of more than 70 million and elevate its brand presence across elite club competitions in Europe and South Africa. This partnership marks a strategic expansion of Emirates' already extensive rugby sponsorship portfolio, which includes six consecutive Rugby World Cups and a strong focus on grassroots development in the UAE. Emirates aims to leverage the EPCR platform to engage fans, support local communities, and promote the sport among youth through community initiatives. Adnan Kazim, Deputy President and Chief Commercial Officer at Emirates, called the partnership a natural step, adding, 'We're eager to support local initiatives for younger athletes that will make a positive impact both in and out of the pitch.' EPCR Chairman Dominic McKay welcomed the airline, noting, 'Emirates' heritage in rugby enhances the profile of our tournaments. Together, we'll expand reach and invest in rugby's future through sustainable, community-focused efforts.' The Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup feature 42 top-tier clubs from eight countries, competing each season for European club rugby's highest honours. News Source: Emirates News Agency
IOL News
01-06-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
SA teams have to take the Champions Cup seriously if they are to feature in the Club World Cup
It is exciting news that a Rugby World Club Cup will be held every four years, but the sobering news is that, as things currently stand, no South African team would qualify for the 16-team event. It was in Cardiff last week that European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) Chairman Dominic McKay unveiled the new tournament, which will be second only to the Rugby World Cup in stature. Speaking after Bordeaux had beaten Northampton in the Champions Cup final, McKay said the event would pit the eight teams that qualify for the Champions Cup in the year of the Club World Cup against the top seven teams from Super Rugby, plus the top finishing team in Japan League One. It sounds wonderful. The long-running debate as to whether Super Rugby is stronger than the United Rugby Championship (URC) or the English and French leagues will be decided on the field. Fixtures such as Crusaders versus Toulouse, Bordeaux versus the Brumbies, the Sharks versus the Highlanders, the Bulls versus New South Wales, and so on are mouth-watering. The problem for the Bulls, Sharks, Stormers and Lions is that to feature in the event, they would have to qualify for the Champions Cup. The South African teams were conspicuous by their absence from the Champions Cup this year and, heck they could not even qualify the playoffs for the Challenge Cup, the competition for the 'also-rans' who were not good enough to make the Champions Cup. Frankly, South Africa's no-show in the European Cup competitions has been embarrassing, especially for SA Rugby administrators. Little wonder some European pundits have accused the South African teams of disrespecting a competition that is cherished in the north. French players, notably the esteemed Antoine Dupont, have questioned whether SA teams should have a place at the Champions Cup table. When SA Rugby negotiated South Africa's movement from Super Rugby to the United Rugby Championship and the European Cup competitions, it was done in good faith that the best teams would play. This has been the case in the URC but not in the Cups, where the Sharks, Stormers and Bulls have, on occasions, sent B teams to overseas fixtures and been given hidings. It is not a good look. The four SA franchises claim that they don't have the depth to compete in the URC as well as the Cups, and so put their eggs into the URC basket. This is reflected in South Africa's exceptional performance in the URC. The first final was held in Cape Town between the Stormers and Bulls and in the other two finals to date, South Africa had a team present. This year, the Bulls finished second, the Sharks third, Stormers fifth and even the struggling Lions made 11th place in the 16-team competition. But with the Club World Cup kicking off in 2028, the year after the 2027 World Cup, things are going to have to change. As SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer said in Cardiff after MacKay's announcement, 'Maybe now the SA teams will take the Champions Cup seriously.' And it is not pie in the sky. The club tournament is going to happen. McKay confirmed that the Rugby World Club Cup has been signed off by all unions and both hemispheres McKay said, 'It promises to be box office. 'To elevate the whole of professional club rugby, we want to create this World Club Cup in 2028 and 2032 with our friends from the south,' McKay explained. 'We have these incredible competitions and we want to find a way to elevate them further and bring in teams from Australia, from New Zealand, from Japan, and we'll do that through the World Club Cup. 'So, once every four years, starting in 2028, we're going to bring the greatest clubs from the southern hemisphere to battle it out against the greatest clubs in the northern hemisphere – and who wouldn't want to find out who the greatest club in the world is as a consequence of that?' This means South Africa has three years to get its house in order if they are to have teams competing in the club rugby extravaganza and financially benefitting from what will be a highly lucrative tournament. Television broadcasting revenue will be massive. So, what is to be done for the SA teams to improve their ability to compete across all competitions and not just the URC? Bulls coach Jake White had a big part of the answer this week. The 2007 World Cup-winning coach says the vast number of top South African players playing overseas needs to be brought home to strengthen the local teams. 'I've been saying for years now that we don't like having to take under-strength squads around the world. But the reality is we need our best players to be staying in South Africa and I've said that many times. 'If Rian (Oberholzer) is going to those big meetings and saying South Africa would dearly love to be part of the Club World Cup competition, well, then I would quite rightly think all the best players will then be made available to play for our clubs. 'Otherwise, what's the reason for putting your name down if you're not going to have the best players being able to play for your own clubs?' To bring home players, the local unions need cash and that could come from SA Rugby now that massive sponsorship money is pouring into their coffers. Big business in South Africa is queuing up to cash in on the success of the Springboks and some of that money must filter down to the provinces.
The South African
29-05-2025
- Business
- The South African
Springboks set to gain? Rugby CEO calls out SA's club contingent
SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer believes the proposed Club World Cup will 'force SA teams to take the Champions Cup seriously.' South Africa's Sharks, Bulls and Stormers have been widely accused of prioritising the United Rugby Championship (URC) over the Champions Cup, often opting to rest several starters when the latter occurs. Neither of the three, which all ended with five points, qualified for the Champions Cup knockout rounds. Meanwhile, each outfit has made it through to the URC quarter-finals, pipping fifth, third, and second in the standings. The SA Rugby chief is a fan of the Club World Cup, believing it to be an avenue to bridging the competitive gap between northern and southern hemisphere clubs. But a lot of work remains to make it official. 'The financial aspect is something that still needs to be figured out,' the SA Rugby boss revealed. 'At this stage, only projections have been made, but if accurate, the Club World Cup could be financially beneficial.' 'Officially, no structures have been put in place yet, and no broadcasting rights or sponsorships have been sold. So the financial impact will only be determined in the future.' 'The announcement is somewhat premature, with a lot of detail outstanding, and we don't have all the answers yet.' Meanwhile, Champions Cup chairman Dominic McKay, said, 'We've had some great discussions throughout the weekend talking about the future of our sport and particularly some exciting projects that relate to EPCR.' 'This is something we've spoken about at EPCR for the last two or three years – we've been trying to work our way through this project to see if we can deliver it.' 'And over the last few days we've had great meetings with our Board, great meetings with our General Assembly, who represent the three leagues and stakeholders from seven unions, and everyone is unanimous about wanting to deliver a World Club Cup through EPCR.' Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
28-05-2025
- Business
- IOL News
Club World Cup: A gimmick, or true test for rugby's best?
Bordeaux Rugby Bordeaux Begles players celebrate with the trophy after winning the Champions Cup final against the Northampton Saints. Photo: AFP Image: AFP Ruck&Maul Column The journey to a possible rugby version of the Club World Cup got off to a shaky start last week. The Telegraph newspaper in London, who has previously reported on the progress of such a tournament, wrote last Friday that a 16-team event was set to be held at the end of the 2027-28 season. Those developments came out of talks in Cardiff ahead of the Challenge Cup and Champions Cup finals in Cardiff last weekend. Then the organisers, the EPCR (European Professional Club Rugby), sent out a belated media statement on Saturday, with the headline: 'EPCR Chairman Dominic McKay confirms Rugby World Club Cup to launch in 2028, with support from all unions and both hemispheres.' McKay went on to add that the EPCR have been speaking about a Club World Cup for the last two to three years, and that everyone was 'unanimous' about the new competition. It is envisaged that the tournament would include eight teams from the Champions Cup, and eight from across Super Rugby Pacific and Japanese club rugby. SA Rugby CEO Rian Oberholzer then told Afrikaans newspaper Rapport that while he does support the venture, the 'announcement is somewhat premature' as there was a lot of details missing, and that the financials must be sorted out, and that 'no broadcasting rights or sponsorships have been sold' as yet. At the moment, I am not convinced. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ The idea of a Club World Cup is romantic, and we all wanted to see whether the Crusaders or the top club in Japan – the Toshiba Brave Lupus Tokyo won the league last season, and will face Malcolm Marx's Kubota Spears in Sunday's final – could knock over European giants like Toulouse, Leinster, La Rochelle and now Bordeaux. But that was when Super Rugby was still a revered tournament, and the South African franchises were also involved. Now that the Stormers, Bulls, Sharks and Lions are up north, that cross-hemisphere appetite for a Club World Cup is not quite the same. The Australian teams have battled to stay competitive in Super Rugby Pacific, while the addition of Moana Pasifika and Fijian Drua hasn't made a significant difference to the quality of the rugby being played. The standard has dropped so much that even the Blues won the competition last year! But, to be honest, is the Club World Cup a gimmick, or a true test to prove which team can be regarded as the best in the world? Firstly, the name mentioned in the EPCR press release – Rugby World Club Cup – doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, as it sounds clumsy and unwieldy. Then, it is mooted to take place every four years, starting in 2028. Is that the right way to go? I'm not so sure. With club squads changing almost every year and the dynamics and demands of the Champions Cup in particular, having it only every four years reduces the gravitas of the event somewhat. Perhaps every two years would be a better solution, if every year is not possible? The EPCR may also have inadvertently shot down this new idea in their press release when they wrote 'We believe the fans of the future want to see the greatest clubs come together. They already have that in Europe and South Africa for the Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup, so we want to broaden the family a bit further'. We all know that the Champions Cup is the best club rugby competition in the world, so what is the point of a Club World Cup then? As the youngsters say on social media, 'it's giving' Fifa Club World Cup, which does not come close to being held in the same high esteem as the Uefa Champions League. The South African teams haven't even properly prioritised the Champions Cup up to now, so even thinking of another tournament is a bit much. The EPCR also mentioned that the Club World Cup 'promises to be absolutely box office'. But can you see a Bordeaux versus Crusaders clash coming close to last weekend's titanic Bordeaux-Northampton Champions Cup final in any respect?
