Asia Rugby Football Union

What Asia Rugby Football Union does

Asia Rugby Football Union (legal entity: Asia Rugby Football Union Pte Ltd, domiciled in Singapore, with operational headquarters in Dubai and a general office in Hong Kong) is the Regional Association of World Rugby for Asia, founded in 1968 as the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU). The federation governs rugby across 36 member national unions spanning East, South, Southeast, Central, and West Asia, and sanctions more than 30 annual rugby events. Its product portfolio is structured as a tiered competition and development ecosystem: the premier Asia Rugby Emirates Championship (men's 15s, dating to 1969), the Asia Rugby Emirates Women's Championship, the flagship Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series (men's and women's, multi-leg), the development-tier Emirates Sevens Trophy for emerging nations, and the U18s Sevens age-grade competition. Supporting products include the Get Into Rugby grassroots participation program, T1 Rugby (a non-contact variant), a calendar of World Rugby-certified training and education courses (coaching L1-L2, match officials, medical, strength and conditioning), an Emirates Match Officials program, and a Player Welfare Medical Committee. A mobile application is currently under development. Content is distributed via the official website, social media channels (YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, X), and the RugbyPass TV global streaming partnership.

The organization's business model is that of a member-governed, non-equity sports federation: revenue is generated from member union fees, title and commercial sponsorships (Emirates Airline is the disclosed flagship title sponsor of all three "Emirates" branded competitions), broadcasting and streaming rights (the majority of which flow through the World Rugby central structure), event hosting and ticketing, and grant support from World Rugby. Pricing is not publicly disclosed, consistent with the norms of regional sports governing bodies. Asia Rugby holds no external equity, has no parent company, and operates under a Council of all 36 member unions and an elected Executive Committee led by President Qais Al Dhalai (re-elected November 2024 to a term through AGM 2028) and CEO Ben Van Rooyen. Customer concentration is structurally high in the commercial sponsor base but highly distributed across the 36-union member geography.

Name

Asia Rugby Football Union

Legal name

Asia Rugby Football Union Pte Ltd

Website

https://asiarugby.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1968

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Asia Rugby is the Regional Association of World Rugby for Asia, governing rugby across 36 member unions through 30+ annual competitions. The Singapore-domiciled federation generates revenue from Emirates-led sponsorships, member fees, and broadcasting rights while running elite, grassroots, and development programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Federation Governance

NAICS

Other Spectator Sports (711219)

SIC

Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

Rugby (Union & League) Leagues (MPAKAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

Regional/Continental Confederations & Associations (MPAKAFAD), Team Sports Matches (Club & National) (MPAGAMAB)

Keywords

• Rugby governance
• Sports federation
• Regional rugby association
• Rugby competition management
• Rugby development programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Causeway Bay

HQ country

Hong Kong SAR China

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Asia Rugby is the official Regional Association of World Rugby for Asia, governing 36 national rugby unions across the continent. It organizes and sanctions continental rugby competitions (men's and women's XV Championships, Sevens Series, Sevens Trophy, U18s Sevens) and delivers development, training, education, and player welfare programs in partnership with World Rugby. Revenue is generated through member union fees, title sponsorship (Emirates Airline), and streaming/broadcast rights.

Product overview

Asia Rugby Football Union operates as a regional governing body for rugby in Asia under World Rugby, managing a multi-tiered competition ecosystem and development programs. The portfolio includes the elite Asia Rugby Emirates Championship (Men's 15s) and corresponding Women's Championship; the flagship Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series (Men's and Women's) featuring top national teams across multiple legs; the development-focused Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Trophy providing pathways for emerging nations; and youth competition through Asia Rugby Emirates U18s Sevens. Supporting programs include the Get Into Rugby grassroots participation initiative, T1 Rugby non-contact variant, Training & Education courses (coaching, match officials, medical), and Player Welfare Medical Committee services. A digital mobile app is currently under development. The organization sanctions over 30 rugby events annually across 36 member unions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Asia Rugby Emirates Championship (AREC) The premier men's 15's rugby competition in Asia, featuring top national teams competing for continental honors with promotion and relegation across divisions. Sanctioned by World Rugby.
• Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Trophy

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered flagship and core.

• Emirates AirlineflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAsia Rugby secured a multi-year title sponsorship deal with Emirates Airline. Emirates is the title sponsor for the Asia Rugby Emirates competitions including the Asia Rugby Emirates Championship, Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series, and Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Trophy. The partnership strengthens rugby throughout Asia by providing world-class competition while supporting the growth of the game across all 36 Member Unions.
• RugbyPass TVcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRugbyPass TV is the official streaming partner for Asia Rugby competitions. The platform provides live coverage of all Asia Rugby Emirates Sevens Series matches, offering free access to live matches, highlights and on-demand content worldwide.
• World RugbyflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerAsia Rugby is the Regional Association of World Rugby, the governing body for the global game. The partnership involves organizing competitions sanctioned by World Rugby, using World Rugby Training and Education resources, and participating in World Rugby events including Rugby World Cup and Olympic qualification.
• Get Into Rugby Program PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGet Into Rugby is an integral part of World Rugby's strategy to grow the Game globally in partnership with Regional Associations and Unions. The program encourages players of all ages to Try, Play and Stay in Rugby with major drive to grow participant numbers in Asia.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• World Rugby: World Rugby is the global governing body for rugby union and the parent body that Asia Rugby reports to as its Regional Association. They share the same mandate of governance, competition organization, and development, but operate at global rather than regional scale.
• Six Nations Rugby: Six Nations Rugby organizes Europe's premier annual rugby union championship. Comparable to Asia Rugby's Emirates Championship in operating elite international rugby competitions, but at a more established commercial scale with deeper rugby history in its participating nations.
• SANZAAR: SANZAAR is the body that organizes Super Rugby and other Southern Hemisphere rugby competitions. Comparable to Asia Rugby in organizing major regional rugby competitions, though it operates across more established rugby markets (NZ, Australia, South Africa, Argentina).

Direct peers

• Rugby Europe: Rugby Europe is the regional rugby association for Europe and the most direct structural peer to Asia Rugby - both are World Rugby Regional Associations with the same role of organizing continental competitions, governing member unions, and developing the game in their respective regions.
• Rugby Americas: Rugby Americas is the regional rugby association for North and South America. It performs the same continental governance, competition, and development function as Asia Rugby, serving member unions across the Americas under World Rugby.
• Oceania Rugby: Oceania Rugby is the Regional Association of World Rugby covering Oceania (including Australia, New Zealand, and Pacific Islands nations). Same structural role as Asia Rugby - organizing regional competitions and developing the game across geographically dispersed member unions.
• Rugby Africa: Rugby Africa is the regional rugby association for Africa and another direct World Rugby Regional Association peer. Performs equivalent functions - continental governance, competition organization, and development programs - with comparable emerging-market dynamics to Asia Rugby.
• Japan Rugby Football Union: JRFU is a national rugby union federation and one of Asia Rugby's most prominent member unions. It is also a major organizing body in its own right - operating Japan's professional league (League One) and hosting elite international matches - making it a peer at the national level within Asia Rugby's ecosystem.

Emerging players

• Major League Rugby (MLR): MLR is the professional rugby competition in North America. Comparable as an emerging regional rugby entity building spectator sports products, broadcast relationships, and corporate sponsorship - similar growth-stage dynamics to Asia Rugby's developing professional tier.

Regional players

• World Rugby League: World Rugby League governs rugby league (the 13-a-side variant) globally, distinct from rugby union. While the playing populations differ, it is structurally analogous as a sports federation running international competitions, partnerships, and a member-governance structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/asiarugby
• YouTubeyoutube.com/asiarugbylive
• Facebookfacebook.com/asia.rugby
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/asia-rugby
• Instagraminstagram.com/asiarugbylive

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles23 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Asia Rugby Football Union