Gartmore continues support for the Barbarians

Gartmore, one of the UK’s leading investment management specialists, is to continue its association with the Barbarian Football Club.

Gartmore will also become the title sponsor of the much-anticipated match between the world’s most famous invitation rugby club and the 2007 Rugby World Cup champions South Africa on Saturday, 1 December at Twickenham.

“The Gartmore Challenge” will not only feature the newly-crowned Springboks but a host of some of the RWC’s biggest stars, making the showdown a must-see match for rugby fans in the UK.

The Barbarian side will likely boast the likes of Welshmen Martyn Williams and Tom Shanklin, Australian Matt Giteau and Jerry Collins and Sitiveni Sivivatu of New Zealand.

The Baa-Baas however will face mighty opposition from the Springboks team, with the line up likely to include stars such as Bryan Habana, Percy Montgomery, Schalk Burger, Victor Matfield and Fourie du Preez.

"We are delighted with our sponsorship of the Barbarians and are very proud to be continuing to support the Club,” commented Jeff Meyer, Gartmore’s President & CEO.

“Our key values are closely aligned - both brands stand for trust and loyalty. In addition both organisations have a focus on delivering top performance and aiming to have teams that represent the very best in their respective fields.

“As an added bonus, the Barbarians are renowned for playing extremely exciting rugby! We wish the Baa-Baas luck for their game against the Springboks on 1 December as well as for the remaining season."

The December game will be the South Africans’ sixth fixture against the Barbarians, who have triumphed twice over the Springboks in five meetings. The Baa-Baas’ wins came at Cardiff Arms Park in 1961 when they triumphed 6-0 and at Dublin’s Lansdowne Road in 1994 where the score was 23-15.

Gartmore’s agreement (club contract) with the Barbarians also includes a match that sees the RWC runners-up,England, face theBarbarians at Twickenham next summer.

Gartmore’s initial involvement with the Barbarians dates back to 2004 when the relationship was used to support the launch of the new range of Gartmore’s MultiManager Funds. The extension of the contract will be used in the promotion of the three-year anniversary of the Funds.

The huge sporting appeal of The Gartmore Challenge means Sky Sports will broadcast the match live. Tickets for The Gartmore Challenge Match are now available from ticketmaster.co.uk.