Sponsorships Now Available for Nationally-Televised International Rugby Match

Sponsorships Now Available for Nationally-Televised International Rugby Match

Packages Feature In-Bowl Signage, VIP Hospitality, Program Ads

GREENVILLE, S.C. and CHARLESTON, S.C., July 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Sponsorships are now available for the Aug. 9 international rugby match between top French rugby team Clermont-Auvergne and the USA Eagles at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston, S.C. The match, dubbed Michelin Challenge Rugby, will be broadcast live at 7 p.m. on ESPN Classic.

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"Rugby is the second-fastest growing spectator sport in the world today," said Michael Fanning, vice president of corporate affairs for Michelin North America. "In addition, there is widespread participation in the sport at the university and club level throughout North America. When you combine these ingredients with national exposure via a live ESPN Classic broadcast, there is a potent opportunity for local, state and national entities to sponsor a top-drawer international rugby match in South Carolina."

Opportunities include exposure in the stadium's on-field signage, customer hospitality and advertisements in the official program. For more detailed information about sponsorships, companies should visit www.michelinchallengerugby.com or call David Voth at 303-539-0300, ext. 110, or dvoth@usarugby.org. Sponsors are subject to the approval of USA Rugby and Michelin North America, and packages will be available while inventory lasts.

Tickets to the international exhibition match start at $20 and are available at www.tickets.com. A limited number of VIP tickets are also available that include access to the Three Lions Club (at Blackbaud Stadium) and include complimentary food and beverages. For groups of ten, VIP tickets or for more information, please call the Blackbaud Stadium box office at 843-971-4625.

About USA Rugby

The USA Eagles rugby team represents the United States around the world in international rugby play. USA Rugby currently fields 11 national teams under the Eagle umbrella, Men's and Women's 15s and sevens, the Women's Under-23 Team, the Collegiate All-Americans, the Men's and Women's Under-20 Teams and the newly formed Men's Under-19, Boys Under-18 and Boys Under-17 Team. Being chosen to play for one of the USA's representative sides is an honor bestowed upon only a select few players each year.

About Clermont-Auvergne Rugby

Association Sportive Montferrandaise (ASM) Clermont Auvergne is a French rugby union club from Clermont-Ferrand in Auvergne that currently competes in Top 14, the top level of the French league system. The club was founded in 1911 as AS Michelin, and changed its name in 1922 to AS Montferrandaise. For a time after it adopted its current name in 2004, the club was frequently referred to as Montferrand both within and outside of France.

About Michelin North America

Dedicated to the improvement of sustainable mobility, Michelin designs, manufactures and sells tires for every type of vehicle, including airplanes, automobiles, bicycles, earthmovers, farm equipment, heavy-duty trucks, motorcycles and the space shuttle. The company also publishes travel guides, hotel and restaurant guides, maps and road atlases. Headquartered in Greenville, S.C., Michelin North America ( www.michelin-us.com ) employs more than 22,300 and operates 19 major manufacturing plants in 17 locations.

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Source: Michelin North America

CONTACT: Tate Hoxworth, Michelin North America, +1-864-458-4335, cell,
+1-864-380-6986, tate.hoxworth@us.michelin.com

Web site: http://www.michelinchallengerugby.com/
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