The Rugby Players Association (RPA) have today announced a new landmark agreement with WHOOP to become their Official Fitness Wearable of the RPA on a multi-year deal.

WHOOP is a personalised digital, fitness and health coach that provides members with actionable insights and feedback across the pillars of Strain, Sleep and Recovery.

Building on the success of WHOOP’s existing partnerships with associations such as the Professional Golf Tour (PGA), the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) and the National Football League Players Association (NFLPA), WHOOP have teamed up with the RPA to optimise members’ health, and wellness; helping them to unlock their best human performance. 

As part of the partnership offering, RPA Members will have access to the new WHOOP 4.0 technology, allowing them full ownership over their data and the power to track their own health, strain, recovery, and sleep through key metrics like resting heart rate, heart rate variability, respiratory rate, and sleep staging.

WHOOP, whose rugby athletes already include Bath & England Rugby’s Anthony Watson and Saracens Women & England Rugby’s Poppy Cleall, will also activate and create custom content with the RPA highlighting the health, fitness, and lifestyles of professional rugby players. Fans will also get an inside look into the techniques and activities helping the best players in the world perform at their peak.

WHOOP athlete Anthony Watson said: “I think it’s great that the RPA and WHOOP are partnering up. It’s ideal for professional athletes and rugby players to be able to use as much as they can because it’s such an individual tool that the athletes will benefit massively from in terms of both their recovery and understanding their sleep, so the two working side by side is essential.” 

WHOOP member Poppy Cleall added: “I think it’s really exciting WHOOP and the RPA are teaming up. It’s a great product, you’ve got the app on your phone, you can get it in real time so as soon as you finish a session, you look back at your session straight away and see all the data. It’s so specific to you and then the next day, you can check your recovery and see how you can get the best out of your body. It’s a great tool, and one I’d recommend to anyone.”

Briain Curtin, International Marketing Director at WHOOP said of the partnership, “We’re thrilled to be partnering with the RPA, and for WHOOP to play a part in aiding rugby players’ performance both on and off the pitch. 

WHOOP’s personalised insights will allow players to train smarter, sleep better and recover faster, so that they can unlock their performance potential.”

Gaia Bursell, RPA Head of Commercial and Team England commented: "Aligning with WHOOP is a really exciting partnership for the RPA. Monitoring all aspects of fitness and recovery via wearable tech and analysing the data is hugely popular and WHOOP are leading the way. We are really excited to work with them on developing their relationship within elite rugby across both our male and female members.”

For more information on WHOOP, visit: https://www.whoop.com/ 

 -ENDS-

Penny Maltby-Payne -  RPA Head of Communications pmaltbypayne@theRPA.co.uk

Pippa Doyle - WHOOP International Brand and Communications Manager pippa.doyle@whoop.com

About the Rugby Players Association (RPA)

The Rugby Players Association is the representative body and collective voice of professional rugby players in England. We represent more than 800 male and female current rugby players, as well as more than 400 former players.

 It is our mission to support, promote and protect the interests of our members, from the moment they sign their first professional contracts, throughout their playing careers, and beyond as they embark on the next phase of their lives.

Our members enjoy a wide range of benefits, including independent representation; legal advice; personal and professional development; playing insurance; education; confidential counselling; transition support; and much more. Members can also access the support of our official charity, Restart, in the event of serious illness, injury or hardship.

The RPA has also acted as the exclusive commercial representative of the England Team since 2004 and performs the following duties on behalf of Team England: Negotiation of the Elite Players Squad Contract, England and Saxons match fees, England team win bonuses and Image Rights payments with the RFU.

For more information about the Rugby Players Association, please visit www.theRPA.co.uk

About WHOOP

WHOOP, the human performance company, provides a membership for 24/7 coaching to improve fitness and health. The WHOOP membership comes with free hardware, a coaching platform designed to optimize your behavior, and a community of high performers. WHOOP members include professional athletes, Fortune 500 CEOs, fitness enthusiasts, military personnel, frontline workers and anyone looking to improve their performance. Studies show WHOOP can positively change behavior, increase sleep, and improve physiological biomarkers. Founded in 2012, WHOOP is based in Boston and has raised more than $400 million in venture capital. Visit whoop.com for the latest company news and connect with WHOOP on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube.