Lions refs keeping an eye on the ball!

SPECSAVERS kicks off a new commitment to professionalism and fair play in sport today [Thursday 25 April], as it launches its sponsorship of match officials at the British and Irish Lions’ 125th anniversary tour to Hong Kong and Australia this summer.

International referee Nigel Owens will unveil the new referee kit at the lions’ enclosure at ZSL London Zoo, aided by Sky Sports anchor Alex Payne and TV pundits and former players Brian Moore and Michael Lynagh, ahead of the full squad announcement [on Tuesday 30 April].

Specsavers’ chairman and committed rugby fan Doug Perkins, who once played second row forward for Ammanford, Carmarthen and Llanelli, says: ‘Good eyesight is clearly very important in competitive sport. While there continues to be exciting technological innovations to aid referees, we will always rely on their personal judgement too. At Specsavers we’re glad to do our bit where we can to help ensure that they get the best possible support to do their job.’

IRB chief executive officer Brett Gosper says: ‘This is good news for rugby and shows the healthy state the sport is in as regards attracting top-class commercial partners. Specsavers has a proven track record within the sports sector and we are looking forward to working closely with them.’

Specsavers will be supporting the tour, which runs from Monday 3 June to Saturday 6 July, with new TV advertising hosted by Sky Sports. The deal also includes online sponsorship of Planet Rugby, with an exclusive Tackle The Game hub that explains the technicalities of rugby through a series of video tutorials. This will have further backing via social media channels, including YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

The sponsorship builds on Specsavers’ existing sporting pledge, helping the experts to see through sponsorship of Scottish Football Association match officials. This partnership, in place for nearly 11 years, has helped in the training of 2,500 match officials since its inception. Specsavers also sponsors the RaboDirect PRO12 rugby league and the Irish Ladies GAA in the Republic of Ireland.

Contact 0800 068 0241 or log onto www.specsavers.co.uk to find your nearest store.