Children from 24 community rugby clubs across the length and breadth of Ospreylia will converge on the Liberty Stadium this Saturday for Junior Club Day 2, earning in the region of £1,000 of free sports equipment for their clubs in the process.
Around 1,000 club members will be attending the Ospreys must win RaboDirect PRO12 game against Benetton Treviso which kicks off at 6.30pm on Saturday evening, with all junior players present taking part in a lap of honour around the pitch.
Meanwhile, Taibach RFC will be providing a guard of honour to the teams entering the field before kick-off, and South Gower, Bridgend Athletic, Baglan, Bryncethin and Loughor junior sections will be providing half-time tag rugby entertainment.
Ospreys skipper, Alun Wyn Jones, said the presence of so many of the region’s younger fans, will help to make a great atmosphere come kick-off.
“To know that so many young fans will be attending Junior Club Day 2 is great news”he said.
“When you get so many of them together in the Liberty Stadium for a big match you can sense their excitement and enthusiasm and it rubs off on everybody else there, in the stands and on the pitch.
“It’s great to know that we have this support out there and it’s brilliant that the clubs can come along, taking advantage of a great ticket deal, to enjoy a night at the rugby supporting their region in a crucial game. Hopefully we can give them something to really get excited about, and we’ll them back here at the Liberty regularly next season.”
Andrew Hore, Chief Operations Officer at the Ospreys, said everybody within the organisation was looking forward to welcoming the clubs to the Liberty Stadium:
“It’s fantastic to know that 24 off our community clubs will be attending Saturday’s match in big numbers. These children are the future of rugby in the region, and it’s important that we do what we can to encourage them to develop a lifelong passion for the Ospreys.
“The boys and girls who will be in the stand watching the game are the players, administrators and supporters of the future. I’m sure that they will have a great time supporting their region and enjoying the thrills and excitement that you can only get from watching first class sport live.”
All the clubs attending on Saturday are benefiting from the fantastic ticketing initiative that runs all season, allowing members to pay just £10 for adult tickets, £1 for children.
The initiative also allows clubs to take advantage of a special partnership between sports equipment manufacturer Gilbert and the Ospreys with participating clubs and schools earning credit on every ticket purchased that can be used towards the purchase of brand new rugby, hockey, cricket and netball equipment.
Normally, there is 50p credit per ticket purchased, but as special reward for those clubs taking part in Junior Clubs Day 2, the value is doubled for one game only to £1 credit per ticket – making it even better value than ever and ensuring that the clubs enjoy even greater rewards for supporting their region.
Andrew Hore added:
“Every little helps as far as community rugby clubs are concerned, and every ticket purchased by the clubs for this game has generated £1 credit for Gilbert sporting equipment. That’s almost £1,000 of free kit going to the clubs based on this one game alone.
“That is a real lasting legacy that will make a major difference to the clubs and will help with rugby development into next season and beyond.”
To find out more about the ongoing Schools and Clubs ticketing initiative, please call Laura Jones at the Ospreys on 01792 616500 or email laura.jones@ospreysrugby.com.