Children to celebrate RWC at Sandy Park
Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club will be welcoming over 200 schoolchildren to their Sandy Park Stadium next Friday (September 18, 9:30am – 3pm) to mark the official start of Rugby World Cup 2015.
For the past year, 20 schools in and around the Exeter area have each adopted one of the participating countries at this year’s tournament – and carried out a wide range of school work, projects and activities aimed at helping to promote the event, which itself will come to Exeter for three fixtures during September and October.
Already youngsters have showcased their work within the classrooms to officials from Exeter Rugby Club, Exeter City Council and the Rugby Football Union during the recent Trophy Tour – and now they will get the chance to put in a spot of physical graft with the inaugural Exeter Rugby World Cup Schools Tag Tournament.
The tournament is all part of the city’s legacy pledge to help promote rugby and the World Cup to the local community.
The schoolchildren who attend the Tag Tournament will not only get the chance to compete against one another in the popular small-sided game, but they will also get the chance to play on the lush Sandy Park pitch, which will play host to Namibia, Tonga, Georgia, Italy and Romania during the main tournament.
Tony Rowe OBE, Chairman & Chief Executive of Exeter Rugby Club, said: “Together with Exeter City Council, the Rugby Club helped to launch the idea of this tag tournament well over a year ago. Our aim throughout the whole process has not only been to help educate the schoolchildren about the Rugby World Cup coming to Exeter, but at the same time allow them to learn about the different countries and cultures of those teams that are participating.
“Here in Exeter we want to create a Rugby World Cup legacy that last for years to come and we believe this tournament – and the work that we have already carried out with the local schools – is helping to lay the foundations for a very bright future.”
Exeter Chiefs Community Development Manager, Marc Dibble, added: “There is huge excitement surrounding the Rugby World Cup 2015 coming to Exeter, so as a department we have looked to harness that in a number of different ways. The enthusiasm shown by all the schools involved has been outstanding and has got bigger and better the closer we’ve got towards the tournament.
“The tag tournament will not only allow the children to be active and learn more about rugby itself, but the programme throughout has been designed with a real educational feel to it as well.”
As well as the tournament taking place, Exeter Rugby Club will also be confirming on the day a major announcement with regards another big event heading to Sandy Park next year.
