Panasonic Wild Knights Announces Business Alliance withAustralia's Queensland Reds

OSAKA, Japan - Panasonic Corporation today announced that its rugby club, Panasonic Wild Knights, has signed a business alliance agreement with the Queensland Reds, a powerful rugby club with a long history in Australia, for the purpose of strengthening and developing club management, business operation as well as players and staff of the both clubs.

As announced earlier this year, the Panasonic Wild Knights will move its home base from Ota City, Gunma Prefecture, to Kumagaya City, Saitama Prefecture, in August 2021. Under this business alliance agreement, the clubs aim to not only strengthen and develop themselves, but also build a strong relationship with the regional governments of their respective homes, Saitama Prefecture and the State of Queensland, which have long been in a sister state relationship. The two clubs will cooperate with them in their regional and youth development programs through rugby and obtain their support and cooperation in the new business alliance.

Under the business alliance agreement, both teams will build a relationship that contributes to mutual development by enabling the players and staff to interact each other in order to promote their growth and actively exchanging ideas about the club and team management. The Panasonic Wild Knights is planning to host an international friendly match in December 2021 by welcoming the Queensland Reds to the Kumagaya Rugby Stadium.

As soon as the COVID-19 situation settles down, the two clubs, together with their host states, plan to set up an occasion to report on their cooperative relationship building.

Commenting on the new business alliance, Hitoshi Iijima, General Manager of the Panasonic Wild Knights, said: “It is an honor and privilege that we have reached an agreement with the Queensland Reds of Australia, the country renowned for its rugby prowess. This alliance agreement intends to not only develop the two clubs but also contribute to the development of our home communities. In order to promote new initiatives that have never been seen before, we would like to actively cooperate with Saitama Prefecture and the State of Queensland and contribute to society and local communities through rugby.”

Robbie Deans, Head Coach of the Panasonic Wild Knights, said: “This is an exciting initiative that has genuine potential to be mutually beneficial for all parties involved. I personally have been lucky enough to have dealt with all the entities through various roles over time. There exists a lot of like-minded people who have a strong sense of history, community and legacy. We will not only enjoy activating these relationships but reflect on this as a significant moment in time.”

Sam Cordingley, General Manager of the Queensland Reds, said: “We are honored to align with the Panasonic Wild Knights. Our organizations have a strong connection through our history and our people. We look forward to continuing to explore ways to extend our relationship with our respective government's support.”

Brad Thorn, Head Coach of the Queensland Reds, said: “It's exciting to partner with a powerhouse club like Panasonic Wild Knights. There's a lot of good people and good things happening at Panasonic. We share similar values and cultures focused on care and connection. This is a historic partnership and we're looking forward to the opportunities and relationships created between the two clubs moving forward.”