Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club headline sponsor

St Edmundsbury Wealth Management has been named headline sponsor of Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club in a multi-year deal, while its MD Andrew Speed will separately be taking over as club Chairman ahead of September’s English National League 1 debut.

The deal and Chair appointment come off the back of the most successful season in the rugby club’s 101-year history. Bury St Edmunds sealed the National 2 East title on the final day of the 2025/26 season with a 95-28 win over Old Albanian in front of a record home crowd at The Haberden, earning automatic promotion to the third tier of English rugby for the first ever time.

St Edmundsbury Wealth Management has been advising families and businesses across Suffolk and East Anglia since 1999. Based at Flempton House on the edge of Bury St Edmunds, the firm’s 14 advisers bring more than 190 years of combined experience to investment, retirement, protection and tax planning.

As Headline Sponsor, St Edmundsbury Wealth Management will enjoy prominent branding across the club, whilst influencing and supporting every strand of the club, with several key projects being directly backed.

Both organisations are rooted in the town, and both point to that as the reason the partnership made sense.

In addition, the number of businesses getting involved in the club is great to see – properly networking, helping each other and pushing the club forward.

Andrew Speed said: “It’s a double header for me – we’ve been a Bury business for nearly 30 years and have supported local rugby throughout that time. When the offer to partner with Bury Rugby came up, we leapt at the opportunity.

“We’re fans first and foremost – the club’s success, from mini rugby to 1st team promotion, doesn’t happen by accident; countless individuals devote time and energy to all areas of the club. Volunteers , supporters and of course the players all play their part and the successes on the pitch speak for themselves. National 1 rugby for the first time in the clubs history.

“We’re proud to be part of the club’s biggest season yet, and you’ll see us at The Haberden making a lot of noise.”

As well as the St Edmundsbury Wealth Management sponsorship, Andrew has also been appointed as Chairman at Bury, following 25 years at Thurston Rugby Club as a player, Captain and President; a club he continues to support and even occasionally play for.

“I’m excited to be working with Bury RUFC, taking on an important role in the biggest season in their history – I have been involved with Thurston for many years, but I am first and foremost a rugby man. I am fully committed to building on the great work of former Chairmen and ensuring that Bury Rugby Club is a club that the town can enjoy and be proud of.

“And not just the Men’s senior teams – the Women’s 1st XV has gone from 3 or 4 players to the Championship in 15 years, an incredible story, and there is a positivity, ambition and momentum across the club from members aged 7 to 70. The Minis, the youth, the Colts teams and the recent walking rugby team, it feels like a real cross generational buy in.

“There is a buzz around the club; excitement is building for the season ahead and I am personally excited to be part of that journey. I will do all I can to represent the club, players, volunteers and fans in my new role.

“We are part of a unique sporting establishment, supporting a local team climbing the rugby ladder, in the heart of an incredible town.”

Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club Commercial Director, Will Affleck said: “Stepping up to National 1 is a brilliant moment for our club, and it’s also a big step up in what we need to run a competitive first team. Longer away trips, higher standards, more demand on the whole operation. Having a headline sponsor of St Edmundsbury Wealth Management’s standing behind us gives us the stability to meet that properly.

“Moreover, the whole of the club remains ambitious and thriving. We remain a pillar of our community and this is a real honour. With this, comes additional commercial requirements that we simply must meet to ensure the positive trajectory remains. The Headline Sponsorship of St Edmundsbury Wealth Management has made a major contribution to this and indeed, in such difficult times, our survival.

“It matters that this is a local partnership. Both they and Andrew understand the club, they understand the town, and they want the same thing we do, which is for Bury St Edmunds to belong at this level and not just visit it. On behalf of everyone at the club, thank you to Andrew and the team.”

The season ahead

The season opener for the Bury St Edmunds RUFC Men’s 1st XV (The Wolfpack) in National 1 is scheduled for Saturday, 5th September at 3pm against London Scottish, with Director of Rugby James Shanahan’s side facing an upcoming fixture list that includes trips to Plymouth Albion and Camborne.

For the Women’s 1st XV, they are hoping to continue to compete strongly in Women’s Championship North 1, beginning away at Buckingham Swans Ladies on 27th September, and their first home game on 11th October against Sale FC. The Men’s 2nd XV have a friendly at home against Shelford on Friday 11th September, before kicking off their Regional 2 Anglia campaign at Rochford Hundred on Saturday 26th September.

All fixtures, tickets, hospitality and match day details are available on the Bury St Edmunds Rugby Club website.

Photo credit: Beanstalk Media