Principality Building Society and the Welsh Rugby Union have entered a new 10-year partnership which will see Wales’ national stadium renamed in January 2016.
The WRU’s relationship with Principality is longstanding, dating back to 1969 when the first partnership between the two parties offered Principality Members some of the first WRU debenture seats.
From 2001 the building society sponsored the WRU’s main knockout cup competition, later progressing to become the 10-year title sponsor of the premiership division in Wales.
In recognition of this support, the home of Welsh rugby, which has become an iconic symbol around the world, is to be renamed Principality Stadium from January 2016.
The first match to be played in the newly christened national ground will be Wales’ home Six Nations second round clash with Scotland on February 13, 2016. The Cardiff venue has been called the Millennium Stadium since it opened on June 26, 1999.
As well as being the home of Welsh rugby, the multipurpose venue plays a central role in Welsh life. Supporting local community events and attracting major music concerts and high-profile business events to the area, the stadium actively generates more than US$200m for the local economy each year.
The Chairman of the Welsh Rugby Union, Gareth Davies, said, “Principality Building Society has been a great supporter of the game at the semi-professional level since 2005 but from now on its name will have a new resonance in every community in Wales.
“Securing a new partner and doing so with such an important and respected Wales-based organization is a big step forward for us all. Both the WRU and Principality are intrinsically linked with people from all points of the compass in Wales and the renaming of the Principality Stadium will emphasize that strategic alignment.
“The stadium enjoys a worldwide reputation and has become an international symbol for our nation so it is highly appropriate that one of our principal partners now has even stronger links with Welsh rugby through these naming rights.
“I am delighted the home of Welsh rugby will now be called Principality Stadium under this historic new deal.
“And this moment should also not pass without a debt of gratitude being offered to the Millennium Commission, whose contribution to the building of our new national stadium at the end of the last century was recognized in its original naming.”
A major operation will now commence to rebrand the venue as Principality Stadium in time for the 2016 RBS 6 Nations.
It will shortly host eight Rugby World Cup international matches, including two quarter finals, under the existing Millennium Stadium name, before the new title is officially unveiled in January next year.
In 2017 the UEFA Champions League final will be played at the stadium.
September 11, 2015
