New Zealand Rugby (NZR) has announced that Healthspan Elite will be the All Blacks' first official sports nutrition, sports protein, vitamin and supplements partner for the next four years.
Healthspan Elite has been supplementing the All Blacks' health and performance for five years, and in September 2020 the relationship between the two long-time collaborators became official.
Healthspan Elite is the sports nutrition range from Healthspan, the United Kingdom's largest direct vitamins and supplements brand. Healthspan takes advantage of more than 25 years of expert-led product development and the latest research to cater to the needs of high-performance athletes.
The Elite range has been specifically developed to provide trusted, Informed Sport batch-tested supplements to aid and support performance.
Commenting on the partnership, All Blacks Nutritionist Kat Darry said, "The importance of maintaining a healthy diet and strong immune system has never been more topical, and for high-performance athletes like the All Blacks it's as important as their physical training regimes.
"The high daily physical demands experienced by elite-level rugby players such as the All Blacks often makes it difficult for players to eat enough or to meet their individual needs for specific nutrients.
"To have the support of specific supplements from Healthspan Elite, which can be utilised when a player's needs are greater than what they can meet from our food-first approach, is important.
"I'm looking forward to working with Healthspan Elite to build on our existing relationship and to develop fit-for-purpose, trusted and proven products to keep the All Blacks at the top of their game and their health."
NZR Chief Commercial Officer Richard Thomas added, "New Zealand Rugby's relationship with Healthspan is a natural fit. Both organisations pride ourselves on being innovative and striving to be at the top of our game. We're excited about the opportunity to collaborate more closely over the next four years."
Healthspan CEO Martin Talbot said, "I was immediately enthusiastic when presented with the opportunity to enter into an official relationship with the All Blacks. Our values and beliefs are complementary, and we share a passion to support the health of all New Zealand rugby players and their global network of fans.
"Healthspan is on the brink of entering into new territories and in the process of enhancing our Elite sports nutrition proposition, so this partnership comes at the perfect time for both parties."
Healthspan Elite offers a broad range of products with multivitamins, fish oils, turmeric, protein powders and caffeine gum all popular among high-performance athletes.
According to Healthspan Sales & Marketing Director Chris Fisher, Healthspan, like the All Blacks, is constantly looking to break new ground:
"For several years, we've been supporting the All Blacks with our Elite supplements to aid their health and performance. Healthspan is honoured to have been chosen as the All Blacks' first-ever supplement partner and it's been a privilege working with their team to secure this partnership.
"As leaders in our respective fields, the potential for us to collaborate on ground-breaking initiatives that bring this partnership to life is something we can't wait to get started on."
The Healthspan Elite All Blacks range: co-created with the All Blacks, works for all
Healthspan Elite has worked closely with the All Blacks to create a range of 32 products to support the players' nutrition – and also for anyone who wants to reach their performance goals. Check out the range below.
See the Elite All Blacks range