Leading garden and grounds care machinery manufacturer STIGA has been appointed Official Groundskeeping Partner of England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU).

In this role, STIGA will support both the senior men’s and women’s teams, as well as grassroots rugby clubs nationwide. With over 90 years of technical expertise in garden care, STIGA blends cutting-edge technology with sustainable solutions to deliver professional-quality performance on any surface.

The multi-year partnership with England’s Rugby Football Union (RFU) reflects STIGA’s commitment to easing the load on volunteers and grounds teams in pitch maintenance, while ensuring world-class playing surfaces for sports players at every level, contributing to nurturing rugby from the ground up. As part of the agreement, the garden care brand will support the maintenance of pitches and green spaces across the country, from elite England Rugby training facilities to grassroots clubs, by providing access to its cutting-edge autonomous robot mowers and battery-powered equipment. Designed to deliver professional-quality results with minimal effort, STIGA’s intelligent, wireless mowing technology helps optimise turf care, reduce workload for grounds teams, and ensure consistently high-quality playing surfaces for players at every level of the game.

James Gordon, Managing Director of STIGA UK, said: “We’re proud to be the Official Groundskeeping Partner of the RFU. Rugby is built on strong foundations, and we believe great games start with great grounds. By showcasing the quality and innovation of STIGA products, we will support clubs, inspire fans, and elevate standards across the sport.”

Claudio Borges, RFU Executive Director of Commercial and Marketing, said: “We are very excited to start this partnership with STIGA. We have aligned values and are excited to see where we can take this new relationship. Having the best pitches and training facilities is paramount to any professional team’s performance, and we are delighted that we will be getting support on this from STIGA.”

The partnership will be showcased through joint activations, branding across the Union’s channels, as well as those of the senior men’s and women’s teams and grassroots clubs, alongside a strengthened presence during key matches. Furthermore, demonstrating its commitment to the wider rugby community, STIGA will introduce an exclusive discount programme for all England Rugby clubs, the players and their members...available via stiga.com. A portion of proceeds from these purchases will be reinvested directly into the RFU community, further reinforcing STIGA’s dedication to strengthening rugby from the ground up, while supporting clubs at every level of the game.

This unprecedented partnership between STIGA and RFU strengthens the brand’s presence in the sports sector and complements its existing collaborations with clubs such as Stade Toulousain in France, Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Germany, Benetton Rugby in Italy, Lech Poznań in Poland, and many others across Europe. This alliance aligns with STIGA’s recent expansion into the professional segment, leveraging over 90 years of expertise in lawn care.