Sponsorship
By Modupe Oremule
Lagos, May 3, 2018 (NAN) World Rugby’s African Association on Thursday announced the appointment of APO Group, the leading media relations consultancy for Africa and the Middle East, as its global sponsorship agency.
The association said on it website, www.RugbyAfrique.com, that the new agreement would support Rugby Africa in securing corporate partners for the 10 major international competitions in Africa.
It said this would be achieved through the sales of title sponsorships, naming rights and activations.
The association said the competitions covered by the deal include the iconic Rugby Africa Gold Cup 2018 and the qualifier for 2019 Rugby World Cup.
Other competitions are the Africa Rugby 7s tournament and qualifier for the 2020 Olympics.
Meanwhile, Abdelaziz Bougja, the Chairman of Rugby Africa, said they were excited to have extended the partnership.
“We are very excited to extend our partnership with APO Group. Since we began our collaboration last year, we significantly increased our international media coverage and touched thousands of fans all over the world.
“There is a tremendous interest in rugby on the African continent and the competitive spirit is increasing day-by-day. Today, Rugby is the fast-growing sport in Africa.
“In 2002, only six African countries were playing the game, and now Rugby Africa boasts of 38 countries. Out of 105 countries playing rugby competitively, one-third are African countries,’’ he said on the website.
It also said that over the last decade, rugby has made significant inroads in the continent. The popularity and TV viewing figures for competitions have enjoyed unprecedented growth.
“In June, the Rugby Africa Gold Cup promises to be an exceptional event as it doubles up as a qualifying competition for Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan.
“Up to three African teams, including South Africa, could end up representing the continent,’’ the association said.
Nicolas Pompigne-Mognard, Founder and CEO of APO Group, said: “1We are very pleased that Rugby Africa reiterated its trust in APO Group.
“We aim to lead the way in sponsorship, integrating the needs of the brand, event, audience, and delivering a smarter sponsorship experience for Rugby Africa.
“The 2018 season will determine how fast rugby can catch up to football in the coming years.
“It is a sport that embodies social integration and the strong values of respect, teamwork, enjoyment, discipline, and sportsmanship many people share,’’ he said.
Hosted every four years, the Rugby World Cup is the second most watched sports event globally.
In 2015, the international tournament was the most attended sports event behind the FIFA World Cup. Over 2.47 million tickets were sold with around half a million (480,000) fans travelling from 24 countries.
On social media, audience participation exceeded all expectations. The hashtag “#RWC2015’’ was used once every two seconds on Twitter which highlights the global reach of the game.
The Africa Gold Cup, the next Africa Rugby 7s competition in September will also act as the Olympics qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 summer Olympics.
At least one African rugby team will take part in the Olympic Games. (NAN)
MJO/ERO/PDE
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(Edited by Emmanuel Okara/Peter Ejiofor)