- Land Rover continues its Rugby World Cup 2015 #WeDealInReal brand campaign which will champion rugby’s grassroots
- Halifax RUFC (England), Clwb Rygbi y Fflint (Wales) and Isle of Mull Rugby Club (Scotland) have been selected as the three UK clubs to feature in the global marketing campaign
- Land Rover will dedicate its Tournament media space to grassroots rugby clubs around the world and help amateur clubs tell their stories
- 11 local rugby clubs chosen to be showcased through broadcast idents with hundreds more promoted digitally
- Land Rover is a Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup 2015 and Official Vehicle Partner
Land Rover, a Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup 2015, has announced thatamateur teams Halifax RUFC, Clwb Rygbi y Fflint and Isle of Mull Rugby Club have been selected to feature in the brand’s #WeDealInReal global advertising and sponsorship campaign for the Tournament.
Building on its Official Sponsor status for Rugby World Cup 2011, Land Rover has used its 20 year heritage within rugby at all levels around the world to create a fully integrated brand campaign which puts grassroots rugby at its heart having identified these three Rugby clubs.
Land Rover will champion the people and players of Halifax RUFC, Clwb Rygbi y Fflint and Isle of Mull Rugby Club that are the heart and soul of the Game. Each club has a unique story to tell and Land Rover has captured these stories in an emotive campaign that delves into the values that set Rugby apart and celebrates the clubs and people who are at the heart of the Game.
Laura Schwab, Marketing Director Jaguar Land Rover UK, said: “We have deliberately chosen to shine the spotlight on some of the smallest, most remote, most deserving rugby clubs around the world.
At Land Rover, we have a long history of supporting rugby from the grassroots up and we share many of the values that also sit at the heart of the game. Our unique #WeDealInReal campaign aims to put grassroots clubs, and the remarkable characters who represent the true spirit of the game, on the global stage, by telling their stories to an international audience.”
Schwab continued, “To dedicate our media for the third biggest sporting event in the world to a variety of small clubs may be viewed by some as an unusual approach; but we feel it’s important to show our commitment to all levels of the game.”
The 60 second #WeDealInReal campaign video can be viewed here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HVyKgfLOWvc
Isle of Mull Rugby Club, situated off the west coast of Scotland has been chosen as one of the 11 finalists due to the club’s remote setting which sees players often hitching rides on local fishing boats to get to training.
Visiting teams also have to arrive by boat and Saturday games are precisely timed around the ferry schedule. The sole focus of the island’s sporting community; the club’s challenges only inspire a greater degree of commitment from the local fans, who have taken the team to heart and are very vocal on the side lines.
Fergus Whyte, Isle of Mull Rugby Club, said: "Turning out for training on the Island often involves long difficult journeys, up to 100 miles for some, but that doesn't deter the lads.
Where there's a will there's a way and we are always determined to field a side. So for Land Rover to reward our commitment to the Game with this global recognition is a huge honour.”
Clwb Rygbi Y Fflint’s love of the game, sportsmanship and team spirit perfectly exemplify the essential elements of grassroots Rugby.
A collaborative, player-run club, everyone takes turns at everything, the perfect metaphor for the spirit of the team being the old bus – known as the ‘fun bus’ – that the whole team has to push to get started to take them to away games. Just like Flint though, the bus always comes through and gets them to the game on time.
Clwb Rygbi Y Fflint club coach Aled Davies said: “For Land Rover to have recognised our dedication and commitment to the Game is a huge honour for us. There is an amazing sense of togetherness at Flint as we all muck in and get our hands dirty with whatever tasks are needed.
We insist on travelling together as it makes us stronger as a group and if pushing the ‘fun bus’ is the only way to do it, so be it!”
Halifax RUFC fell from professional status due to lack of funding and was relegated to the lowest regional league but they never thought of giving up.
The club is now on the rise again, happier and more committed than ever.
Under the management of the only female Director of Rugby in the country, Sarah Clough, Halifax RUFC’s ‘back to the grassroots’ approach is working and the club is rising back through the ranks, having been promoted three times in the last six years.
Sarah Clough said: “It is a huge honour to be featuring in Land Rover’s #WeDealInReal campaign for Rugby World Cup 2015. We are a small but committed group of players with the soul motivation of playing for the love of the Game, so to be rewarded with this global recognition is a huge boost for the club after what have been some difficult times.”
Land Rover launched its #WeDealInReal campaign in March by using some of its most high-profile Rugby ambassadors to lend a hand at a grassroots match in Hampshire, England. Legends of the Game past and present, including Rugby World Cup winners Jonny Wilkinson, Will Greenwood, Sir Clive Woodward, Brad Thorn and Bryan Habana rewarded amateur side Racal Decca RFC by assist in the club’s routine match day preparations. The video can be viewed
here:
The other clubs that will feature in Land Rover’s Rugby World Cup 2015 #WeDealInReal campaign are:
- Bidart Union Club, France
- CUS Siena, Italy
- Dingo Cubs, Alice Springs, Australia
- Davetalevu Rugby Club, Fiji
- Hokkaido Barbarians Rugby Club, Japan
- Rugbaí Chorca Dhuibhne, Ireland
- Soweto Rugby Club, South Africa
- Upper Clutha RFC, New Zealand
The #WeDealInReal advertising campaign will launch in the UK on September 18, coinciding with the Rugby World Cup 2015 Opening Ceremony and England’s first match, taking place at Twickenham.
Seven official host broadcaster partnerships have been agreed which will see #WeDealnReal content shown in the UK (ITV), Ireland (TV3), France (TF1), Italy (Sky Italia), South Africa (Super Sport), Japan (J Sports) and Australia (Fox Sports).
