The RFL and Super League have unveiled  DEWALT , the world's leading manufacturer of industrial power  tools, as an official partner for the 2010 season.
 
DEWALT will benefit from high visibility at RFL central games and will be promoted during the season through branding and ticketing as well as  through  interaction with fans at events.  

The brand has also backed the exciting 'Strongest Arm in Super League' competition won by St Helens prop Nick Fozzard in an action-packed finals day last week.

"We are delighted to welcome DEWALT on board as an official sponsor," said the RFL's Commercial Director Paul Kimberley. "The RFL is looking forward to working with a successful multi-national company which shares many of the same brand values as our sport."

The  DEWALT Strongest Arm in Super League competition began at The Magic Weekend at Murrayfield in May when contestants were required to hold out a DEWALT   36v SDS Hammer Drill,  weighing nearly 4kg,  at arm's length for as long as possible.

DEWALT ran heats in the busy Fans Village over the Magic Weekend and Paul Lockwood, a delivery driver and Leeds Rhinos fan recorded the longest time with 3 minutes 48 seconds.

Super League players then took part in heats at their own clubs and the players who recorded the longest five times were invited to compete against Paul Lockwood at the final this week.

Paul finished in a respectable fourth place, keeping the drill held out for longer than Castleford's Michael Wainwright and Wigan's Shaun Ainscough. Luke Robinson of Huddersfield dropped out in third place to leave Nick Fozzard and Luke Burgess to battle it out for the title.

Luke's arm eventually  dropped  leaving Nick to scoop the award in  a time of 2 minutes 27 seconds. 

Congratulating Nick on his strongest arm success, Richard Mallinson,  DEWALT's Group Marketing Manager for UK and Ireland, said: "DEWALT  is proud to announce it's new partnership with the RFL and Super League, and applaud the fans and players who have taken part in the DEWALT Strongest Arm in Super League competition over the last few weeks.

"We believe that as the global popularity of rugby continues to evolve, this exciting new partnership with  the  RFL will help  to  strengthen  and build the profile of our brand .''   
 
For nearly 90 years,  DEWALT has earned a reputation for designing, engineering and building tough industrial machinery.  DEWALT were founded in 1923 when Raymond  DEWALT invented the radial arm saw.  From that point they have built an unrivalled  reputation among  tradesman and  professional craftsmen for producing tough, innovative and high performance products.