Scottish Rugby and Arnold Clark drive home new partnership

A proud Scottish owned and based business, currently celebrating its 70^th year, Arnold Clark will take on the prestigious Scotland men’s team front of shirt sponsorship, seen around the world whenever the team play at Scottish Gas Murrayfield or internationally.

The company is a household name throughout Scotland and continues to grow with branches across England, and recently opening their first location in Wales. Throughout this journey, they’ve invested heavily in grassroots sports, providing kits and more to youth sports teams through the Arnold Clark Community Fund. This approach is continued within the new Scottish Rugby partnership through the title sponsorship of the men’s and women’s Premiership and National Leagues from the start of the 2024/25 season.

Delivering rugby in Scotland will also be supported by Arnold Clark through the provision of vehicles to Scottish Rugby employees who work in the community game throughout the country.

Arnold Clark’s Chief Operating Officer, Russell Borrie said: “At Arnold Clark, we understand the positive impact of sport. It’s something that inspires, entertains, and, most importantly, brings people together to play, to watch and to voice their support. Through our Community Fund, we’re proud to support teams at grassroots level and to provide young athletes with the opportunity to develop. And now, as shirt sponsors of the Scotland Men’s rugby team, we’re thrilled to empower their successes as they represent Scotland at the highest level.

“This is a partnership built on shared values; both Arnold Clark and the Scottish Rugby are Scottish institutions with proven track records of success. We both aim to be the best in our respective fields, and we know there is so much that we can learn from each other. We will share best practices and work closely together to set new standards as we work towards our common goals.

“At Arnold Clark, we invest in people. We upskill our employees, build new careers through apprenticeships, and we work hard to give our customers the best possible experience. This partnership is a significant investment for us – in the players, the coaches, and those who support the team. We believe that rugby is more than just a game; it’s a community – and we’re proud to be a part of it.”

Scottish Rugby’s Commercial Director, Chris Healy said: “This new partnership represents an exciting opportunity for both Scottish Rugby and Arnold Clark, who we are delighted to welcome into our family of partners.”

Scottish Rugby’s Head of Business Development, Charlie Simpson said: “It was clear Arnold Clark has exciting plans to expand its business beyond Scotland and Scottish Rugby provides a highly visible platform to help accelerate that growth both in the UK and beyond.

“Aligning two proud Scottish organisations creates lots of opportunities and we welcome Arnold Clark’s commitment to community sport and desire to make the most of this partnership in the years to come.”

Fans will have the first chance to see the new front of shirt sponsorship when the 2024/25 Scotland kit is revealed on 2 August.

Scotland Women’s new season kit design will also be unveiled, complete with their existing, and first-ever, unique front of shirt sponsor, Scottish Gas, which was announced in July 2023.

Photo caption (left to right):
David Cooper, Arnold Clark Chief Financial Officer
Chris Healy – Commercial Director at Scottish Rugby
Eddie Hawthorne, Arnold Clark Chief Executive and Group Managing Director
John McGuigan, Chair of the Scottish Rugby Limited Board
Russell Borrie, Arnold Clark Chief Operating Officer
John Clark, Arnold Clark Chief Commercial Officer

About Arnold Clark
Founded in 1954, the fledgling business took off from a single-car showroom on Glasgow’s Park Road, given flight by its founder’s simple philosophy: to offer genuine value for money and customer service of the highest level. Fast forward 70 years and the company continues to flourish with 200 branches across the country, selling over 200,000 cars a year. 

But while Arnold Clark is a name that’s synonymous with vehicle sales, there’s much more to the business than you see on the showroom floor. There’s also a vehicle rental and fleet management division, with its very own film and TV division, and a fleet of over 50,000 cars. The Group also offers everything that a customer might need for the onward journey, with parts and servicing departments, an accident repairs division, and insurance services.