The Professional Rugby Player’s Association (PRA) have been appointed as the commercial representatives of the world champion England rugby team.

Commenting on the appointment, PRA CEO and former England international Damian Hopley commented, “Our primary objective is to continue to increase the collective revenue and profile of the squad by working far closer with the RFU and their existing partners. The players continue to be excellent ambassadors for the sport and their commercial value has risen dramatically in the last few months on the back of the World Cup success. We will be looking to capitalise on the heightened interest in the sport to ensure the players’ increasing value is both recognised and rewarded.”

The PRA already played a key role in negotiating improved terms for the squad through their RWC participation agreements, and given that many members of the England squad have also received help from the Association on a club level, it was a natural progression for the PRA to extend their involvement into the national team set up.

The PRA will be introducing a formal constitution, through which the squad will be represented by an Executive Committee. This Committee would not only mean that the players will be able to play a significant role in deciding how the partnership should work, but also in ensuring that the squad continue to move forward off the field as well as on it. “The players can add tremendous value to existing commercial arrangements and will play a key role in attracting future partners into the sport.” said Hopley.

For more information on commercial opportunities with the England team, please contact Damian Hopley at the PRA on 0208 334 8019 or info@prarugby.com.