Greene King IPA is official England rugby beer

October 2, 2006: Greene King is making a multi-million pound investment in sponsoring England rugby as the country prepares to defend its World Cup title.

As the official beer of England rugby, Greene King IPA will become a major fixture at the legendary Twickenham stadium, home of the sport. Fans will be able to buy the beer throughout the stadium and from a dedicated Greene King IPA cask bar.

In addition, all Greene King’s pubs across the country will be backing the England rugby team, running promotions to win tickets to see international matches at Twickenham, win England rugby merchandise, win pints of Greene King IPA and even win the chance to attend a training session with the England squad.

Paul Vaughan, business operations director for the RFU, said: “We’re excited to have Greene King IPA on board - it is a quality product and will be highly effective as a brand in the stadium.

"We’re equally enthusiastic about the unique infrastructure Greene King brings with it to this sponsorship. The team at Greene King are experienced in deals of this kind, and with their pub estate they have a real point of difference as they can engage fully with rugby fans who aren’t able to attend international games at Twickenham.”

Justin Adams, managing director of Greene King, said: “There has always been great synergy between rugby and real beer, as fans of rugby tend to appreciate quality ale. And as Greene King IPA is the nation’s favourite real ale, it’s fantastic that we can sponsor the nation’s world champion rugby team.

“We know many of our drinkers are avid rugby fans, and we’re delighted that we have the opportunity to offer them special experiences to celebrate this sponsorship with us."