Worldwide Partner of the 2023 Rugby World Cup

As a long-standing loyal partner of the Rugby World Cup, Societe Generale announces its partnership with the 2023 Rugby World Cup, which will be held in France. The Bank is the first French company to sign up as a Worldwide Partner of this international event.

  

Frédéric Oudéa said, “Societe Generale has been an historical partner of rugby. We share the sport’s values of team spirit and commitment, and we want to support its development in an inclusive way all around the world. Our long-term commitment carries a special weight within the current sanitary context and economic uncertainty, which has affected the global rugby family. It was both a natural fit and our responsibility to partner for the seventh time with the next Rugby World Cup in France in 2023.”

World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: “We are delighted to be extending our long-standing worldwide partnership with Societe Generale. The major French bank shares values of integrity, solidarity, respect, discipline and passion with rugby, which have been evident during an association with the sport that stretches back more than 30 years.”

Rugby, a commitment over more than 30 years

For more than 30 years, Societe Generale has continuously reiterated its commitment to rugby, whether it’s amateur or professional rugby, men’s or women’s teams, rugby union or rugby sevens.

• Major events: with the 2023 Rugby World Cup, the Group is consolidating a partnership that began with the 1991 Rugby World Cup.
• Numerous French and international federations and national leagues: in France, the Bank has been partner to the French Rugby Federation and the French national team since 1987, and the National Rugby League since 1998. In Europe, Societe Generale is partner to Rugby Europe, and in particular the European sevens competitions. In India, the Group is an official partner of the Indian Rugby Football Union and has been a jersey sponsor of the national rugby sevens teams since 2016.
• At local level: through its network of branches in France and its international subsidiaries and locations, the Group supports community initiatives to promote the sport’s development and accessibility.
  • In France, where Societe Generale provides daily support to more than 20 regional rugby committees, nearly 500 amateur clubs receive assistance in the form of donated training equipment.
  • The Bank is also involved in the growth of rugby in areas where the sport is not fully developed, for example during Ambassadors’ Days held all around France, when Top 14 and Pro D2 players, referees and coaches promote sportsmanship and the values of rugby, and through the Get into rugby programme in India and Africa (through a partnership with Rugby Africa).
  • Societe Generale is also a partner to clubs in Hong Kong, Australia, etc.

The development of rugby sevens is a priority for Societe Generale. In 2001, the Group was the leading partner of rugby sevens, which became an Olympic sport in 2016. In 2014, the Bank teamed up with the French Rugby Federation and the French University Sports Federation to create the SG Sevens, the French university championship final for rugby sevens.