French rugby club Biarritz Olympique has announced a bold new sponsorship partner – the world’s largest gay, bi, trans and queer dating app.

The second tier club, which compete in the ProD2 league, have sold their main jersey sponsor to Grindr who will display his name front and center, accompanied by the cheeky placement of his logo on the back of the game shorts.

While the deal is expected to net the club 4 million euros (NZ $ 6.7 million) over four years, it is also part of a larger campaign by the club to tackle homophobia in sports.

In a statement shared online, the club said it is committed to “taking part in the fight against homophobia” and “to be committed to the Grindr to continue its action of inclusion and acceptance at the level of its championship and its rugby ”.

Former All Blacks center Francis Saili is one of three New Zealanders on the club’s squad which also includes former Otago players Adam Knight and Gavin Stark.

A 2020 survey by England rugby club Harlequins, in partnership with the Australian University of Monash, found that 69% of male rugby players had heard their teammates use homophobic slurs in the previous two weeks.

Controversial cross-code player Israel Folau was sacked by Rugby Australia in 2019 for homophobic social media posts and is currently involved in a brawl between a local Queensland rugby club and his French Super League club for the right to return to Australian sport.

Grindr is estimated to be worth NZ $ 851 million and is used by over 13 million people in over 200 countries. The company includes awareness and support of its communities as part of its operations.

“Grindr for Equality is an ever-evolving mission to help LGBTQ people around the world. Our large-scale initiatives impact communities large and small on the issues that matter most to them: safety, sexual health, advocacy, and more.