Guinness, title sponsor of the Guinness Six Nations, is showing its support for the 2019 Union Cup by painting the gates of the famous St James’s Gate brewery the colours of the rainbow flag.
The Union Cup, which takes place in Dublin in June 2019, is Europe’s biggest LGBT+ inclusive rugby tournament. First played in Montpellier in 2005, the biennial event has also visited Copenhagen, London, Amsterdam, Bristol, Brussels and Madrid.
This year, for the first time, there is also a dedicated women’s tournament and cup, the Ann Louise Gilligan Cup.
The famous gates are passed by two million tourists each year, making them an ideal way to promote the Union Cup and encourage people to attend the matches.
Rory Sheridan, head of partnerships – Europe at Diageo, said: “We are proud to support Union Cup Dublin as it celebrates the power of rugby to unite people, and we hope Guinness Gates encourage people to support the teams playing in June.
“The team at Guinness has championed inclusivity and diversity in rugby, values that are integral to GUINNESS as a brand, through a number of rugby partnerships.
“We collaborated with Gareth Thomas to tell his story in 2015, and we recently became the first commercial partner for the Women’s Six Nations. Union Cup Dublin will also spotlight inclusivity in the women’s game by hosting the first dedicated women’s tournament in Dublin, and we are delighted to continue to support women’s rugby.”
Irish club Emerald Warriors are hosts of the Union Cup and are encouraging players and fans alike to #TryWithPride. President and chair of the Union Cup Richie Fagan, added: “We are honoured to have a global brand such as Guinness stand in support of inclusive rugby, and to see the iconic gates painted in celebration of Union Cup Dublin is epic.
“It is so important for us that our partners like Guinness make this tournament possible, and we’re incredibly proud to showcase how Ireland does it to our 45 visiting teams. We invite Irish people, not just rugby fans, to do the same and come out to support and enjoy the Union Cup at DCU over the weekend.”
The Guinness Union Cup Gates will remain painted to support our sponsorship of Union Cup Dublin until 10th June 2019. The Gates will then be repainted black.
The tournament takes places over two days and will feature 45 teams from 15 countries. The tickets are available from www.unioncupdublin.ie and are priced at €10 for adult tickets.
