Land Rover, proud Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup 2019 (RWC2019), and Japan Rugby Union have today announced a new partnership which sees Land Rover become the first official partner of Impact Beyond, the legacy and rugby development programme of World Rugby™ in the build-up to Rugby World Cup 2019.
Land Rover will work with World Rugby, Asia Rugby and Japan Rugby Football Union on a programme of grassroots festivals which will see thousands of youngsters across Japan introduced to rugby during 2019.
The initiative was first launched in Japan in 2018 when 171 rugby schools in all of the 12 RWC2019 host cities held a ‘Rugby Introduction Day’ with around 3,000 children participating.
In the year of Rugby World Cup, this programme will expand nation-wide to include non-Rugby World Cup hosting cities, with approximately 300 rugby schools taking part. Each will host a training session targeted at elementary school children.
Land Rover is the first brand to partner with Impact Beyond 2019 building on its grassroots focused campaign from Rugby World Cup 2015.
Magnus Hansson, CEO of Jaguar Land Rover Japan, said:
“We are very proud to be introducing more young people to the sport ahead of Rugby World Cup 2019. For over two decades, Land Rover has been supporting the game all over the world, from the grassroots to the elite.
“As Japan gets ready to host its first Rugby World Cup we are delighted to continue our commitment to developing the game and spreading the passion and values we have long shared with rugby.”
Rugby World Cup Tournament Director Alan Gilpin said:
“The Impact Beyond legacy programme is central to World Rugby’s mission to grow the game globally and was at the heart of the decision to bring the Rugby World Cup to Asia for the first time.
Japan 2019 is on track to be the most impactful Rugby World Cup ever, with the Impact Beyond programme already surpassing its ambitious target of reaching one million new rugby participants across Asia.
As we enter the final 200 days to go we are delighted to welcome Land Rover as partner of Impact Beyond and the expansion of Rugby Introduction Days to local Rugby clubs nationwide is another positive step in the journey towards ensuring that Rugby World Cup 2019 is a game-changer for rugby in Japan and throughout Asia.”
Tadashi Okamura, President of Japan Rugby Football Union, said:
“We are thrilled to announce that, “National Rugby Introduction Days” which is one of the activities in “Impact Beyond 2019” – our core programme to promote and develop rugby participation in Japan, will be held again this year.
The events will be delivered nationwide from April to May with the aim of providing opportunities for as many children as possible to experience the game and understand the spirit of rugby.
This year, Land Rover, who are long-standing contributors to the sport, will join us on our journey of growing rugby further as the new event partner.
We would like to take this opportunity to express our deepest gratitude to them for their support and to the enthusiasm and co-operation of all the rugby schools across Japan who are taking part in the programme.”
