Prem Rugby, English men's rugby union’s top-tier league, has announced a five-year extension of its partnership with Defender, the car brand of UK vehicle manufacturer Land Rover, as it continues to consolidate its commercial portfolio.
The deal extension builds on Defender’s long-standing association with Prem Rugby, with the 2026-27 season marking 25 years since the brand became an official partner of the property.
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As part of the extension, Defender gains title rights to the newly revamped Prem Next Gen youth competition, expanding on its recently launched bursary program for player development.
Defender and Prem Rugby will also collaborate on a six-part content series showcasing people and stories from the league’s academy system, to be distributed during the 2026-27 season.
The focus on the league’s youth programme comes at a time of growing interest in Prem Next Gen, with the league claiming a combined digital audience across the past two final days exceeding 150,000.
Kelly Cooke, commercial director at Prem Rugby, said: “Reaching 25 years of partnership is a remarkable milestone and reflects a shared commitment to developing young talent and investing in the future of the game.
"Prem Next Gen plays a vital role in the player pathway, helping to prepare the next generation of Gallagher Prem and England stars. Together with Defender, we are excited to continue elevating the competition, growing its audience and showcasing the incredible work taking place across our academies."
Leonie Raistrick, UK brand director at Defender, added: “Through Prem Next Gen, we have a unique opportunity to support emerging talent at a pivotal stage of their journey while helping to tell the stories behind the academies that are developing the future of English rugby.
“We look forward to building on the success of the partnership over the next five years.”
Defender is also active elsewhere in rugby union, having signed on as the official vehicle of the Australian men’s national team until the end of 2027. It has also previously served as a worldwide partner for the men’s Rugby World Cup 2023 in France and principal partner of the women’s Rugby World Cup 2025 in England.
Meanwhile, the new deal comes as Prem Rugby prepares for its new era, following the RFU governing body’s decision to abolish automatic promotion and relegation between Prem Rugby and the Championship starting with the upcoming 2026/27 season.
The league is moving to a criteria-based licensing model. Under this system, clubs must demonstrate financial resilience, robust governance, suitable facilities, and credible commercial plans to enter or remain in the top division.
In making the move, the RFU hopes to attract new investors, with the threat of relegation now eliminated, while greater membership security will make it easier to forecast and underwrite key revenue streams, such as media distribution, sponsorship, matchday income, and wider fan engagement.
In preparation for the changes, UK commercial broadcaster ITV secured a two-year extension to its long-running rights agreement with Prem Rugby earlier this year.
Under the deal, ITV will continue to broadcast seven live matches free-to-air per season, including the final, on its ITV1 linear channel and ITVX streaming service for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 seasons.
The main rights package for Prem Rugby in the UK is held by pay-TV broadcaster TNT Sports, which secured an early renewal for its rights back in May 2025.
Late last year, the league also secured US coverage through a rights deal with OTT sports subscription service FloSports.
The 2026-27 Prem Rugby season will begin on the weekend of September 25 to 27, 2026, and will run through to the final on Jun 19, 2027.
