The Premiership - the top flight of English rugby union - will become the 'Gallagher Prem' next season as it rebrands to emphasise the physicality and intensity of the league. The makeover will include a new orange logo which will be shown to fans, both at Allianz Stadium and watching on television, before Saturday's final between Bath and Leicester Tigers. It is hoped that shortening the league's name will help it "talk how fans talk" and give it a less corporate, more informal feel. Officials also believe showcasing the confrontational nature of the sport, alongside players' athleticism and skill, will draw in new, younger fans. The Premiership says it recorded 30% growth in fans between the ages of 18-34 between 2023 and 2024. "The research showed physicality was a key part of the appeal of rugby," the Premiership's chief growth officer Rob Calder told BBC Sport. "That came through very strongly, not just with existing audiences, but wider audiences as well. "It can't just simply be that. There's got to be some light and dark to it. "That's where the incredible skill, the incredible pace, the decision-making under pressure is so important. Precision in training and then bravery in execution. "We want to talk about all those things." The Prem will focus on delivering more action and behind-the-scenes content to YouTube and social media, with big hits, young stars and emotional moments showcased alongside tries and match highlights. Its marketing push is part of a drive for growth, investment and subsequent financial security after the chastening demise of Worcester, Wasps and London Irish, who all went bust in the 2022-23 season. The Premiership believes that a franchise system - with on-pitch relegation scrapped, but teams obliged to hit centrally-set standards on and off the pitch - would attract a flush of new money. Switching to such an expansion model has the backing of Rugby Football Union chief executive Bill Sweeney, but will need the approval of the RFU Council to become reality. The second-tier Championship announced in May that it would similarly change its name for the start of next season, opting for 'Champ Rugby'. The Six Nations has also recently rebranded. The tournament unveiled a new orange logo in December, with the majority of fans unimpressed.

I used to work at Red Bull F1 so watching this with interest.

Goodness knows how long DMP can continue to maintain that facility.

Meanwhile back in the real world ....

 I assume RB come with ££. Another niche sport for Red Bull.

Newcastle Matadors?

The Red Bull group made an €11bn profit in 2024.

A rugby club would be peanuts in their marketing world.

Pay back is marketing and media content.

Red Bull model is to buy, own, grow. Every sport they've entered they have invested in the next generation.

However, until there's an Austrian name in companies House as a director of Newcastle Falcons or whatever the legal entity is called then I put this down to hype.

Fixed that for you. 

Hogby? 

Can keep up with the times and change this site to RollMa or is that incestuous ?

That's the weird bit

The top comment on that BBC article is:

 

".....apparently on the grounds that polysyllabic words are now for rugby dinosaurs. The continuing push to make rugby more marketable to a Gen Z audience could spell trouble for the double-barrelled likes of Ollie Hassell-Collins – or OHC as he will be known in future.'

But who was Obo?

Allegedly, Adolf Schicklgruber.

One Ball Off.

Kimbo wrote: One Ball Off.

https://youtu.be/fPtXRgc3M9A?si=PWrMdALRQDjv6UqD" rel="nofollow - Prince Alexander Obolensky    (1916-1940)

Scored 2 tries in England's 14-0 victory over the All Blackls (1936)

Drop Goal = 4 back then andf a try 3

The Premiership may be losing seven letters next season, but Rob Calder hopes it will gain much more. Calder, the top flight's chief growth officer, is the man snipping the competition's name to simply 'the Prem' for next season. The change comes with a new logo – a shock of orange to reflect the intensity of the action – and fresh branding promoting the physicality, athleticism, collisions and confrontations on the pitch. "There was definitely an issue with the Premiership brand in that it felt quite corporate and establishment," says Calder. "It didn't feel like an entertainment product and that's what we're trying to address now with this new identity. "This league is not broken, it is actually flourishing - we just need to reframe ourselves a little bit to make sure we can reach those wide audiences and grow." In repositioning rugby, Calder hasn't looked outside the box, but into the octagon. "If you look at sports that are growing in this country, it's basketball, it's NFL, it's mixed martial arts and there's a singularity to a lot of those brands," he adds. "Think about UFC. There's a real sort of punchiness. There's a dynamism and a lean forward and we really like that. We thought we could do it our own way though." The reaction when the new branding was unveiled before Saturday's final was mixed. It often is with these things. But that is perhaps the point - the existing audience is not the target. Calder wants to expand the league's appeal and convert the indifferent. A record 1.26m television audience for Bath's victory, combined with demand outstripping supply for the 82,000 tickets, suggests the Premiership is nurturing new fans. There has been big growth in engaging supporters between the ages of 18-34, while Red Bull's reported interest in buying Newcastle Falcons would tie in perfectly with a parallel aim of attracting youth-orientated brands. It is a brief Calder has worked to before. Before he arrived in rugby, he was the commercial director for the Hundred, the neon-spattered, slog-heavy cricket format that launched in 2021 and raised more than £500m with the sale of its franchise sides earlier this year. That was revolution. In rugby, Calder is aiming for evolution. "With the Hundred, we were clear that a distinctly new approach was going to be critical to get to the next generation," he says. "When I did research on the Hundred though I looked at rugby clubs and how they compared in terms of appeal to younger audiences and they actually performed pretty well. "There are some strong brands in there – be it Harlequins or Leicester Tigers or others – with legacy and awareness of those identities. "So I think we're starting from a different level with rugby." The rebrand will include more behind-the-scenes content from the league's bright, young things and more intelligent highlights, with dramatic moments, such as shuddering hits, try-saving tackles and interactions between players, included alongside the scores. Some of the strategy is more mundane than the marketing, but just as important. "The first time people come to rugby grounds, we have got to make them welcome," says Calder. "We've got to point out where everything is, to make sure there's enough toilets for women, that the facilities are clean and the rest of it. "Rugby is probably a little bit behind where some sports are, but that's a massive focus for us. "We've invested in gathering match day experience scores from fans and match day experience training with the clubs." Calder says the hunt for new fans is a necessity, rather than a luxury. He began his career promoting drinks for a big-brand brewers. "There was a massive, massive commitment to consumer understanding in that industry," he says. "What struck me when I came into sport was there was a lot of data on who was buying, but not a lot of understanding of those people outside and why they weren't engaging with the sport. "I think that's a flaw in sport because there's there's so much pressure commercially on clubs, the focus is on understanding as much as possible your existing audience and getting as much of a return out of it. "It's less common to look beyond that and so you have these unfortunate sort of ever-decreasing circles." Calder has seen this close up. He says The Hundred only came into being because Twenty20 cricket had been mistakenly marketed at existing supporters, drawing them away from county cricket, rather than bringing in families and new fans as intended. It isn't just other sports or other entertainment option that rugby must compete with either. It also has to keep pace with society. "I think families are important whichever sport you're in - because more and more families make decisions to have experiences together of a weekend," says Calder. "Maybe my dad, 30-40 years ago, would go and play golf all day or go to rugby with his mates, but I've got a commitment to look after my family and I enjoy being with my family. "I want to make sure my two young girls can come to these events, and want to come to these events. "We have seen it in women's football - the growth of that family experience economy. That's definitely something rugby should be tapping into." Whether the shorter, rawer Prem hits that sweet spot will be seen next season.

If he is the Chief Growth Officer it begs the question of how many Growth Officers there are in total. 

More by the day presumably.