THE UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP BRINGS ON FUTURES SPORT & ENTERTAINMENT TO POWER GROWTH AND FAN ENGAGEMENT
October 28, 2025
Futures’ Industry-leading Analytics To Support URC’s Continued Expansion As Rugby’s Global Popularity Soars
LONDON – 28 Oct, 2025 – United Rugby Championship (URC) announced the appointment of Futures Sport & Entertainment to provide brand insights, fan engagement and growth consultation.
Futures will advise URC on global audience and commercial data, sponsorship data, performance measurement, and other brand health analytics and insights to help drive continued growth of the league and further showcase the returns URC delivers to its broadcast and brand sponsor partners.
“We’re excited to be working with Futures on our key audience engagement, brand health and exposure measures,” said Martin Anayi, URC CEO. “We’ve already been hugely impressed by the level of insight that Futures have been able to provide, and we’re only just getting started. URC has grown very rapidly over the last few seasons and Futures will ensure we understand our fans and we’re able to continue on that trajectory for many seasons to come.”
“Partnering with the URC presents a fantastic opportunity to apply our expertise to one of the fastest-growing leagues in world rugby,” said Kevin Alavy, Global Managing Director of Futures. “We’re looking forward to working closely with Martin and his team to study and showcase the incredible data that demonstrates the league’s success, and the significant value URC brings to its partners worldwide.”
The two sides first laid the groundwork for the appointment at the URC clubs conference in Treviso last July, where Futures presented fan engagement trends and learnings to further strengthen URC’s relevance among younger demographics.
The appointment comes at a time of increasing global momentum for rugby, with record attendance and broadcast reach, and the sport’s ability to connect with diverse audiences worldwide.
ABOUT FUTURES SPORT & ENTERTAINMENT:
Founded in 2002, Futures Sport & Entertainment provides industry leading data and analysis of the sports media and fan landscape. Using proprietary in-house software and analytical techniques, Futures tracks, assess, and optimizes the presence, value and impact of brands – rights holder or sponsor – from visibility to behavior and purchase. For more information, visit futuressport.com.
ABOUT THE UNITED RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP:
The BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) is a leading professional rugby competition featuring 16 teams from Ireland, Italy, Scotland, South Africa, and Wales.
Since 2021 the URC has set the benchmark for digital growth and engagement in rugby, reaching a broadcast audience of over 175 million and generating close to 1 billion digital video views.
With an 18-round regular season followed by the Play-Offs and Grand Final, the URC combines global competitiveness with deep community connections, delivering world-class rivalries, derbies, and entertainment to fans worldwide.
The URC is proud to be a challenger brand in global rugby — diverse, dynamic, and unpredictable — while maintaining deep connections with its communities and supporters.
For more information, visit www.unitedrugby.com or follow @URCOfficial across social media.
URC Fixtures : https://www.unitedrugby.com/content-pages/urc-202526-fixtures
–URC & FUTURES SPORT AND ENTERTAINMENT–