Schools across Ospreylia are being handed the chance to earn thousands of pounds worth of free sporting equipment simply through watching top class rugby thanks to an initiative run by the region in conjunction with leading sports manufacturer Gilbert.
The successful Schools Ticketing Initiative saw schools in the region purchase almost 15,000 tickets for Ospreys home matches during the 2010/11 season, and as they look to provide even more local children with the opportunity to experience live rugby for themselves, bosses at the Ospreys have teamed up with Gilbert to make an attractive deal even better.
Under the terms of the initiative, which has operated for a number of seasons, any school in the region can book tickets for any home Ospreys match for parties of 20 or more (with a ratio of one adult to every 4 children), and pay just £10 for their adult tickets, £1 for the children.
Now, as an added incentive for schools to participate, the partnership with Gilbert means that the Ospreys are able to offer a 50p credit for every single ticket bought by a school that can be used towards the purchase of brand new rugby, hockey, cricket and netball equipment, ensuring that every pupil can benefit directly from their school’s relationship with the Ospreys.
There are no hidden catches with the Schools Ticketing Initiative, it’s as straightforward as it sounds; buy fantastic tickets to watch the Ospreys and the school earns credit for sports goods that can be redeemed from a special Ospreys/Gilbert catalogue.
Ospreys Managing Director, Roger Blyth, said:
"We are delighted to be able to link-up with a renowned sporting manufacturer in Gilbert, who have been a long term supplier of rugby balls to the region, to offer schools such a fantastic deal that supplements our existing Schools Ticketing Initiative.
"The initiative is a simple, straightforward one, that has always offered superb value for money to schools in Ospreylia in order to encourage youngsters to come along to the Liberty Stadium and experience live rugby for themselves. The response has always been excellent, with almost 15,000 tickets sold through the scheme last season alone, but we felt that we wanted to take the initiative a step further and reward those schools who interact with us.
"Given the concerns about child inactivity and obesity in Wales, as a responsible business we obviously encourage youngsters to be active and participate in any kind of sport, not just rugby. With budgets in schools getting tighter year on year, thanks to our partnership with Gilbert, we can offer schools a way to get brand new sporting equipment simply by encouraging their pupils to watch the Ospreys and promoting this initiative, enabling more young people to enjoy either watching or participating in sport.
"14,855 tickets sold last season would equate to £7,427.50 of free sports equipment distributed across the region so everyone’s a winner."
Ospreys skipper Alun Wyn Jones was at the launch of the new Gilbert partnership and he added:
"I think it’s a fantastic initiative. Value for money tickets to watch the Ospreys play and free sports equipment for the schools, what’s there not to like about it? Hopefully schools in Ospreylia will get behind the initiative in even bigger numbers, I’m looking forward to seeing some of them at the Liberty Stadium between now and the end of the season."
If you are involved with a school and want more information on how the Schools Ticketing Initiative works and how your school can benefit please contact Jolene Davies at the Ospreys on 01792 616505 or email on j.davies@ospreysrugby.com.