RWC Fanzones And Trophy Tour Announced
With just under six months to go, England Rugby 2015 has announced the 15 official Rugby World Cup 2015 Fanzone locations across England and in Cardiff. Fanzones will be located within each host city as well as the birthplace of the game, Rugby, and Trafalgar Square in central London.
Fanzones, which will be free to enter, will be open on matchdays and at varying times across the six-week tournament, providing fans, residents and visitors with the opportunity to enjoy the build-up to matches and join in with the nationwide celebration of rugby.
The Fanzone locations range from iconic town squares to city parks, match venue surroundings, and waterside spaces including the Docks in Gloucester and a Fanzone on the beach in Brighton. With capacities ranging from 2,000 to over 10,000, and additional events planned in the Fanzones outside of matchdays, over 1 million fans are anticipated in the Fanzones throughout the tournament.
Each Fanzone will include a big screen, with some showing live Rugby World Cup 2015 matches, rugby activities, food and drink, entertainment and unique regional content to celebrate the host city and match venue’s role in Rugby World Cup 2015.
Trafalgar Square will be open from the weekend of the semi-finals until the final and include entertainment, food and drink, and rugby activities on the semi-final, bronze final and final matchdays. Outside of matchdays, the Square, along with a number of the official Fanzones, will play host to grassroots and community rugby initiatives and events to celebrate the game and the wider Tournament.
You can view the Fanzone locations and opening dates at www.rugbyworldcup.com.
In addition to making plans for the six-week tournament, fans can now look forward to the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour in the UK and Ireland with details also announced today.
Launching on June 10 – 100 days to go to the opening match – rugby’s greatest prize, the Webb Ellis Cup, will travel through Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Wales and England, counting down to the start of the tournament before arriving at Twickenham on September 18 ahead of the opening ceremony.
The Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour follows the successful International Trophy Tour, which has to date completed 12 of its 15 international visits with Canada (April 1-4), Germany (April 16-18) and France (May 11-13) still to go before the Webb Ellis Cup returns to England.
The journey throughout the UK and Ireland aims to engage fans and give them the opportunity to build unforgettable memories as part of their own Rugby World Cup 2015 story.
Rugby is at the heart of the Trophy Tour schedule engaging with over 100 rugby clubs, organisations and rugby festivals, from grassroots to elite. In addition, host cities, match venues, community and legacy programmes, sports events, stakeholder visits, worldwide partner activations and iconic landmarks will feature as part of the Trophy Tour with over 300 events programmed across the 100-day continuous tour.
Details on the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour, including a high volume of events open to the general public, will be updated at www.rugbyworldcup.com/trophy-tour in the coming months.
Debbie Jevans, Chief Executive Officer of England Rugby 2015, said: “With less than six months to go we are delighted to announce the locations of the official Fanzones, alongside details of the 100-day Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour across the UK and Ireland.
“The countdown to Rugby World Cup 2015 is on and fans can now really begin to plan their tournament experience, be it through watching the matches, through Fanzones, the Festival of Rugby and the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour.
“We are pleased to deliver another tournament first with an official Fanzone in every host city as well as additional Fanzones in Rugby – the birthplace of the game – and London’s Trafalgar Square.
“We have worked with all our host cities, local authorities and the Mayor of London to identify a range of fantastic locations including city centres, parks, match venues and waterfronts to give fans, residents and visitors a uniquely regional experience and a focal point for celebrating the tournament and the wider game of rugby.
“Capacities will range from 2,000 to over 10,000 and we would like to thank all of our host cities, local authorities and the Mayor of London for their fantastic support and we look forward to welcoming upwards of 1 million people to the official Fanzones.
“The Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour will be the perfect opportunity to excite and engage fans across the UK and Ireland and make 2015 feel like the year of the rugby nation. Delivering a continuous 100-day tour means we can give as many fans as possible the opportunity to see the Webb Ellis Cup and tell us their rugby story as they countdown to their own tournament experience.
“We have been delighted with the success of the International Trophy Tour, engaging with thousands of people across the globe, and hope to replicate that success when the Trophy Tour goes to Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Wales and England.”
The Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour will launch on 100 days to go (June 10) and make its way to the Scottish border for a five-day journey through Scotland. From Scotland, the trophy will travel to Belfast and spend five days in Northern Ireland and five days in the Republic of Ireland, finishing in Dublin and crossing the Irish Sea to Holyhead in Wales.
Ten days in Wales will include visits to Host City Cardiff and the Millennium Stadium before the trophy returns to England to countdown the final 75 days until Rugby World Cup 2015. The Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour schedule can be viewed at www.rugbyworldcup.com/trophy-tour and full details on the locations and events will updated in the coming months.