Rugby sponsorship: Societe Generale’s commitment

A longstanding partner of rugby

A founding commitment alongside the French Rugby Federation (FFR)

The Bank became involved in rugby and its team spirit in 1924. In 1987, its partnership with the French Rugby Federation enabled it to deploy its colours on pitches everywhere and associate its values with those dear to this sport. This milestone also coincided with the inaugural Rugby World Cup, an event of which Societe Generale was a partner at every edition through to 2023, including the tournament hosted in France for the first time.

Through its partnership with the FFR, Societe Generale affirms its long term commitment to supporting French rugby. A relationship built on trust, which has continued to grow stronger over the decades and reached a new milestone in 2024, when the Group became Premium Partner of the FFR. For the first time in its history, Societe Generale is now featured on the back of all French national teams’ jerseys.

The Bank has been supporting the continued development of a sport with which it shares the values of team spirit, commitment and respect. It encourages the growth of all forms of rugby (rugby union, rugby sevens, women’s rugby, wheelchair rugby, etc.), from grassroots participation to elite professional level. Societe Generale also fosters the local roots of rugby, supporting more than 200 amateur clubs across France.

Robust support for professional rugby

Partner of the Ligue Nationale de Rugby (LNR) since its creation in 1998, Societe Generale reaffirmed its support for professional rugby in 2023 by announcing that it was extending its commitment to the LNR for a further four seasons.

The LNR organises France’s two major professional rugby competitions, the TOP 14 and the PRO D2. By associating itself with these championships, Societe Generale anchors its presence at the very heart of sporting performance, supporting the clubs, players and territories that bring rugby to life every day. This commitment gives concrete expression, on rugby pitches across the country, to the shared values of team spirit, determination and collective commitment.

This partnership is also experienced within the Group itself, through initiatives that bring employees together around the powerful emotions of rugby. At the 2025 TOP 14 Final, 103 Societe Generale employees, members of the Societe Generale Choir, took part in the pre match ceremony. In a performance directed by Benjamin Millepied and accompanied by his dancers, the choir performed Ravel’s Boléro on the pitch at the Stade de France, followed by the French national anthem La Marseillaise, sung in unison by the 80,000 spectators in attendance. A unique moment that brought together two of the Group’s long standing commitments: rugby and classical music.

Societal initiatives to drive change in sport

This year, La Marseillaise is experienced through sight as well as sound

In 2025, Societe Generale launched a world first: the French national anthem La Marseillaise performed in French Sign Language (LSF) by the French national team players, revealed on stadium giant screens during the Quilter Nations Series. 

A few months later, for the 2026 Men’s Six Nations Championship, Societe Generale took this commitment one step further: the signed version of La Marseillaise was broadcast live for the first time in France, during a free‑to‑air sporting event, on France Télévisions. 

This commitment also came to life on the pitch, during the opening match France - Ireland, with a rendition of the national anthem in French Sign Language (LSF) performed by Maxence, an eleven‑year‑old rugby enthusiast living with a condition that is gradually causing hearing loss.

For the Women’s Six Nations Championship, the French women’s national rugby team in turn performed La Marseillaise in French Sign Language (LSF). The film is broadcast before each match of the competition during the national anthems. By involving the players of the French women’s national team in this inclusive initiative, Societe Generale affirms a conviction: promoting accessibility in sport for all, while supporting greater visibility for women’s rugby, in line with its level of performance and commitment.

Ouvrons la voix: an all-female cast providing live commentary of a French international rugby match

Societe Generale’s "Ouvrons la Voix" initiative celebrates diversity and excellence in rugby.

An international rugby match commentated only by women; that’s the principle of the “Ouvrons la Voix” (Giving women a voice) operation. By highlighting female talent off the pitch, this initiative – the first of its kind in France – offers a fresh perspective for spectators and for the sport itself.

On 16 March 2024, live on the French Rugby Federation’s Twitch channel, journalists Isabelle Ithurburu and Marie-Louise Preira, influencer Yume, former French internationals Yanna Rivoalen and Jessy Tremoulière and current French international Gaëlle Hermet joined forces to commentate on and analyse the big Six Nations decider between France and England.

Together, they transmitted their passion for rugby and demonstrated with enthusiasm, conviction and professionalism that women are just as capable of sharing their love of this sport as men. 

Initiatives dedicated to the development of all forms of rugby

“Home Field Advantage”, where all forms of rugby union come together

In 2017, Societe Generale created the “Home Field Advantage” web series. We accompanied small amateur clubs for several months, enabling them to benefit from coaching by former international rugby players who are partners of the Group, and thus show the human experiences and shared moments enjoyed by these local “rugby communities”.  

In 2023, a Rugby World Cup year, season 4 of the web series took us down to the Basque Country for a wonderful coming together of different levels of rugby. In this season, Societe Generale ambassador Jonny Wilkinson called on legendary rugby players such as Dan Carter, Richie McCaw, Siya Kolisy, Thierry Dusautoir, Christian Califano and Matt Giteau to coach two of the region’s clubs.

Discover season 4

Home Field Advantage in the heart of French regions

During these Home Field Advantage encounters, TOP 14 and PRO D2 professional rugby ambassadors go to meet rugby en6 season, five dates have been organized around key themes that Societe Generale shares with rugby: education, diversity, and inclusion.

The encounters organised with the Ligue Nationale de Rugby illustrate our belief that rugby is a great place to develop coexistence by fostering diversity of talent and inclusion through collective strength.

Societe Generale Sevens, putting Rugby Sevens in the spotlight

Since 2014, Societe Generale has organised the final of the French university rugby sevens championships, called the Societe Generale Sevens, in collaboration with the French Rugby Federation (FFR) and the French University Sport Federation (FFSU). 

This event brings together the 40 best French university rugby sevens teams, selected following various regional qualification phases. Over two days, almost 500 male and female players who are students play a total of 110 matches to attempt to win one of the four French Champions titles in the Elite Men, Elite Women, University Men and University Women categories.

The Societe Generale Sevens event aims to put rugby sevens and university sport in the spotlight via a unique experience that celebrates sport’s values. At the heart of rugby competitions, the Societe Generale village offers numerous activities: an initiation to wheelchair rugby by a partner local club, an accuracy wall, an initiation to gaming headed by our partner Team GO and a photo booth.
 

Supporting the evolution of rugby practices and audiences

A partner of all forms of rugby for nearly 40 years, Societe Generale naturally supports the Crunch Creator, a unique event created by Diego Sarthou. By becoming Official Partner, the Group reaffirms its commitment to supporting the evolution of rugby practices and the ways in which the sport is experienced.

This partnership is part of the continuity of Societe Generale’s long standing support for the French national teams, with the Group playing an active role both in the preparation of the French Crunch Creator team and in the overall experience offered to fans.

Several initiatives have already been deployed to support the team and engage communities:

• a distinctive partnership announcement, brought to life by two iconic figures of French and English rugby, also Societe Generale ambassadors, Thierry Dusautoir and Jonny Wilkinson;
• the Societe Generale Player, an activation giving one subscriber the opportunity to experience the event from the inside by joining the French team as a player;
• training by Societe Generale, an immersion alongside France Sevens, of which the Group has been the first historic partner for more than 20 years;
• further initiatives to come, designed to extend the Crunch Creator experience beyond the pitch.

By supporting the Crunch Creator, Societe Generale supports a team, an event and a community of fans, helping rugby to shine in all its forms.

Our Ambassadors

Societe Generale supports an exceptional group of ambassadors, genuine rugby icons who have marked the history of rugby and who embody the values of courage, solidarity and excellence.

Thierry Dusautoir is an emblematic figure of French rugby whose career is peppered with numerous successes: 56 times captain of the French national side, Six Nations Grand Slam winner in 2010, European champion, world cup finalist, 5 times French champion and the world’s best player in 2011.

His presence on the pitch marked the history of rugby by combining leadership, strength and charisma. A star of the Home Field Advantage series, Thierry Dusautoir has had an exceptional career, leaving a decisive legacy in French and international rugby. 

Photo credit : Pressesports