New Magners League Season Is Launched

Celtic Rugby and their tournament Sponsors, Magners Irish Cider are looking forward to continuing success as they enter the second season of the Irish cider makers sponsorship of the Magners League. The competition for the 2007/08 season was launched today in Wales.

Speaking at the launch of the 2007/8 Magners League at the Liberty Stadium, the home of the current champions Ospreys, Celtic Rugby Director David Jordan said: “In the coming season we will be looking to build on the success of what we have experienced over the last 12 months. Attendances at Magners League games have increased by 15.7% overall, the average gate for a game is now over 6,000 with several of our fixtures selling out, including the record 48,000 that packed into Lansdowne Road on New Year’s Eve to watch Leinster take on Ulster in the last game at the famous stadium.

“And it is not just through the turnstiles that we are seeing increased interest – our broadcast partners BBC Wales & S4C have also recorded a rise of 16.3% in their overall viewing figures compared to last season, whilst our other TV partner, Setanta Sports, have increased their subscriber base significantly, further widening the reach of the Magners League to viewers throughout the UK and Ireland.

“The continued growth of the competition has been helped no doubt by the higher profile brought about by Magners’ commitment to invest substantially in all countries involved in Celtic Rugby,” he added.

The Magners League is one of the leading competitions in world rugby, and we feel that, like our title sponsor, we have an attractive product which people enjoy.”

Orlaith Fortune, the Marketing Manager of Wm Magner, commented: “We are delighted to be launching the second season of the Magners League. Following the successful inaugural season, the 2007/08 fixtures have lined up what promises to be another season of sell-out, exciting and competitive matches which will continue to showcase the fantastic brand of rugby played in the Magners League – something we very much look forward to.

“We will continue to support the growth and increased profile of the competition, and have exciting plans, including continuing our broadcast sponsorships with S4C and Setanta and launching a new advertising campaign in line with the start of the season. Key to our plans are the ten teams and their fans, who are integral to the continued success of the Magners League.”

Celtic Rugby’s League competition was formed for the 2001/02 season and consists of teams from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The League was played on a home and away basis in the 2003/04 campaign for the first time.

During the 2006/07 season, over 660,000 fans came through the turnstiles at the 110 Magners League games, whilst thousands more tuned in to one of the 73 live televised matches, or followed the progress of their favorite teams through local radio broadcasts or over the internet.

Current Champions – 2006/07 – Ospreys

Previous Champions – 2001/02 – Leinster, 2002/03 – Munster, 2003/04 – Llanelli Scarlets, 2004/05 – Neath Swansea Ospreys, 2005/06 – Ulster