The Warrington-based healthcare property company, which manages a portfolio of almost 600 primary care medical centres, has been named as the tournament’s official community health partner.

As part of the deal, the Assura Community Fund will create a grants programme with a minimum of £100,000 (£137,322/€112,903) available to help charitable and voluntary sector organisers deliver health and wellbeing activities.

The grants will be given to health projects working from or with rugby league community clubs and within the 18 host towns and cities for the tournament, which is scheduled to take place from October 23 to November 27 in England.

Online applications are due to open from February 1, with the submission deadline set for February 28.

Those successful will receive one-year grants from May 15.

Tournament organisers said the partnership with Assura aligns with its own mission to educate people to look after their mental fitness and those around them in the wake of the global health crisis.

"Our partnership with Assura is another example of RLWC2021’s commitment to delivering positive social impacts, and the role that businesses can have in helping us deliver the tournament and our purpose led approach," said RLWC 2021 commercial director Jonathan Neill.

"Our partnership strategy has been focussed on bringing new brands into the sport and creating integrated and connected partnerships that meet our mutual objectives.

"The addition of Assura to our partner portfolio is tremendous news, and their community fund grants programme will make a positive difference across many communities."

The sponsorship is Assura’s first in sport as it joins Eversheds Sutherland, Deloitte, Manchester Metropolitan University, Kappa, Kuehne+Nagel and Cazoo as official sponsors of RLWC2021.