Land Rover Brings RWC to Grassroots Rugby Teams
The brief visit of the Rugby World Cup to the North East may now have passed but it has certainly left its imprint on the area and thanks to Land Rover.
Several of the Falcons’ community volunteers, club officials and teams received tickets to St James’ Park to watch the South Africa vs Scotland and Samoa vs Scotland games as part of Land Rover’s commitment to grassroots rugby and their #WeDealInReal campaign.
On 3rd October 31 of the Falcons’ Club Connections Club Ambassadors took up the opportunity to represent their clubs at the South Africa vs Scotland Pool B game, including clubs from Cumbria, Durham and Northumberland, while two Club Connections teams also joined the Falcons for the game.
South Shields Westoe U15s were the first to be rewarded for their camaraderie with a set of 20 tickets to the crunch game; over the last two years the team have been hit with several illnesses both within their own ranks and amidst their supporters and volunteers, however through the power of rugby they have come closer together and helped one another overcome the difficult times.
Redcar Rugby Club also joined the Falcons at the South Africa vs Scotland game; Redcar Rugby Club has had its clubhouse destroyed twice by fires in the last ten months, which could easily dampen the spirits of those involved in the club. Instead, everyone in the community demonstrated fantastic spirit to not only ensure a major refurbishment plan was put into action but also that no games were affected. Hard work from the fixture secretaries ensured that the junior teams were not kept on the side-line and that games went ahead as scheduled.
Speaking after the Rugby World Cup game Redcar Club Chairman Neil Young said: “Everyone who was offered a ticket was overwhelmed by the occasion and the generosity of Land Rover and the Falcons.”
Blaydon Rugby Club U10s then joined us on Saturday 10th October for the lunchtime kick off between Samoa and Scotland. The team have already supported Newcastle Falcons in several of the pre–Aviva Premiership games including seeing the victory over World Cup Team Georgia. Blaydon U10s are comprised of primarily first generation rugby players who have come together and made rugby their favourite sport thanks to the dedication of their their parents and families. They team has developed massively and have already shown signs of having created life-long bonds and friendships.
The Award winning Hitz programme also benefited from Land Rover’s generosity with all students on the programme given the chance of a lifetime to attend at least one Rugby World Cup game in Newcastle.
The Newcastle Falcons Community Foundation and the clubs which benefited from the kind donation would like to pass their thanks onto Land Rover for their continuous support of rugby, the Newcastle Falcons and grassroots rugby in the North East.
