Bangkok--31 Oct--Aziam Burson-Marsteller
· Thai youngsters eligible to win trip to UK for Rugby World Cup 2015 to deliver the match ball onto the field in a match between New Zealand and Tonga
· DHL to provide logistics support before and during the Tournament
· Agreement and campaign builds on a successful Rugby World Cup 2011 partnership and longstanding relationship between DHL and Rugby around the world
DHL, the world’s leading express international service provider and the Official Logistics Partner of Rugby World Cup 2015 recently unveiled the “Match Ball Delivery” campaign for Thai rugby fans aged 8-15 years.
The 2015 Rugby World Cup is scheduled to be the eighth Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial global showpiece for international rugby. The tournament is scheduled to be held in England from 18 September to 31 October 2015.
DHL is giving 48 lucky children including one from Thailand the opportunity to deliver the official match ball onto the field of play at Rugby World Cup 2015 matches.
There are 40 pool matches and 8 knock-out matches in total, so 48 rugby playing nations will be offered the opportunity to send one child and their parent/guardian as part of this promotion to the Tournament
The prize package for each of the winning children will be delivery of the official match ball to the referee on the field of play prior to the match. The winner will also receive two tickets to the match, DHL RWC Merchandise kit including uniform, rugby ball, return flights and transfers to match city/venue, 2 nights accommodation, a Thank you gift of match ball delivery photo as a “momento”
“We are very pleased to once again be joining forces with the Rugby World Cup to deliver Rugby World Cup 2015,” said Yasmin Aladad Khan, Senior Vice President, DHL Express South East Asia and South Asia. “We are actively involved in supporting rugby all over the world. Our participation includes flagship global partnerships such as this one and supporting local rugby clubs and grassroots initiatives. The popularity of rugby is reflected in estimates that 2.9 million spectators including 400,000 overseas visitors and 4.2 viewers on TV will watch next year’s rugby world championships.”
In order to promote the “Match Ball Delivery” campaign DHL and Thai Rugby Union will conduct roadshows in several provinces across Thailand such as Chiang Mai, Rajaburi, Buriram and Phuket to generate awareness about this program and to ensure that children outside Bangkok will have an equal opportunity to participate in this program.
Additionally a transparent and standardize winner selection process has been established. Specifically a panel of judges consisting of representatives from DHL, the Thai Rugby Union and Thailand’s national rugby team will oversee the selection process for the winner. There will be two rounds of selections. The first round will be judged based on the submitted applications, essays of how rugby means to them and a recommendation letter from their coaches or teachers to shortlist 25 finalists for the second round of face-to-face interview.
The criteria for contestants in the campaign are as follows: rugby skills, passion for rugby, motivation to participate in this program and adaptability. In addition, ability to communicate in English is an advantage. Interested candidates can download and submit their applications to thaiscrum@gmail.com from now until Friday 30th of January 2015. The winner will be announced in the middle of February 2015.
“Rugby is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and is getting more popular in Thailand”, said Chananyarak Phetcharat, Managing Director, Thailand & Indochina, DHL Express. “We are also very attracted to be aligned with sponsorship of a sport that like our own business proudly showcases teamwork, speed, accuracy, precision and timing; passion, a commitment to excellence and a will to win - elements that are also essential to our ongoing success in Thailand.”
The partnership between DHL and Rugby World Cup 2015 continues a longstanding relationship between DHL and the game of Rugby. DHL was Official Logistics Partner of Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand, and was a naming rights sponsor of the recent 2013 British & Irish Lions Tour of Australia. The company also currently partners with Harlequins in England, the DHL Stormers in South Africa, the Irish Rugby Football Union and a number of tournaments within the IRB Sevens World Series. Other initiatives by DHL to support Rugby development around the world have included partnerships with Rugby Federations, tournaments, clubs and school programs as far afield as Fiji, Hong Kong, Kazakhstan, Romania, and Canada.
Rugby is the fastest growing sport in the world, played in over 100 countries. A total of 102 million global viewers watched the Final of Rugby World Cup 2011.