Ulster Rugby: Kingspan to remain 'on-board' with club in 'transitionary period' until 2025

Ulster Rugby CEO Jonny Petrie says the club are speaking to potential new sponsors

Ulster Rugby's association with Kingspan will end by June 2025 after it was agreed the club's principal sponsor would remain "on-board for a 12-month transitionary period" after the current deal ends this summer.

The sponsorship deal is set to end at the end of the 2023-24 season.

Ulster said Kingspan "agreed" to remain "on-board" for a year to facilitate the club's search for a new sponsor.

The club said Kingspan had "signalled its intention" to end the partnership.

Ulster's association with Kingspan stretches back to 1999.

Ulster's current deal with the Irish firm includes stadium naming rights and sponsorship of the club's senior men's shirts.

In October, Ulster Rugby CEO Jonny Petrie previously said the club would review their association with Kingspan after the publication of the final findings of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry.

Seventy-two people people died in the Grenfell Tower fire in west London in 2017 and Kingspan has come in for criticism, with the Grenfell Inquiry hearing evidence criticising the company's business practices.

Kingspan says its K15 insulation made up only 5% of the insulation in the block and was used without its recommendation.

It points out that the exterior cladding, which it did not manufacture, was deemed by the inquiry to be the "principal reason" for how quickly the fire spread.

Grenfell United, who represent survivors and bereaved families of those who lost their lives in the fire, were understood to have written to Ulster Rugby asking the club to reconsider its Kingspan deal.

"We extend our thanks to Kingspan for their long-term investment in Ulster Rugby over a number of years, which has allowed us to build a strong foundation for the club in the future," said Petrie.

"Kingspan has agreed to continue to support us through to June 2025 to allow for a seamless transition to a new sponsor, and we are now actively engaging in conversations with potential new partners for the end of next season onwards."

Siobhan O'Dwyer, Kingspan's global head of marketing, said: "Twenty years is a great innings and feels like a natural stepping off point.

"It has been our privilege to partner with Ulster Rugby, and we are pleased to continue that support during a transitionary phase to June 2025.

"We wish the club every continued success in the future and look forward to many more great games between now and the end of the 2024/25 season".