麻豆社
programmes helping to get kids active
The
麻豆社 is spearheading a big push to find the next generation of rugby
players during this year's RBS Six Nations competition.
Building
on the 30 per cent increase in audience for the competition on the
麻豆社 last year and the heightened interest in rugby following the
World Cup, its programmes will feature a major new initiative to
find the stars of tomorrow and get youngsters to be active.
The
scheme - RBS Six Nations Give it a Go! - offers children
in schools and clubs the chance to win the opportunity to play at
or visit Twickenham, Millennium Stadium, Murrayfield or Lansdowne
Road.
Around
拢1 million in the current broadcast deal has been ring-fenced
by the 麻豆社 to support grassroots initiatives.
麻豆社's
Director of Sport, Peter Salmon, said: "We are using
our programmes and Sport Academy website to get kids active
and potentially find the next generation of international players.
"This
is a great time for rugby and we need to harness the current enthusiasm
and drive it through our Sport Academy and onto playing fields.
"Programmes
including Blue Peter, X-Change and our rugby coverage
each weekend will all promote grassroots rugby."
Other
prizes up for grabs include top coaching sessions, signed shirts
and a visit by the Webb Ellis trophy, courtesy of the Unions, and
kit bags or a visit by the RBS Six Nations trophy, courtesy of RBS.
The
initiative is a result of six month's work with the home unions,
building on their existing development schemes.
To
sign up for RBS Six Nations Give it a Go!, people need to visit
the 麻豆社 Sport Academy website - .
Matt
Dawson, Jonny Wilkinson, David Humphreys, Chris
Paterson, Scott Murray and Mark Jones demonstrate
how to achieve top class rugby skills, and the website provides
information about each of the Home Unions development schemes.
The
麻豆社 Sport Academy website is aimed at kids aged 10 to 16 with the
aim of getting them to play sport. Page impressions total approximately
eight million a month.
To
promote the initiative, eight short films will run throughout 麻豆社's
coverage of the RBS Six Nations.
Current
and former internationals from each country will talk about a classic
piece of play that inspired them, and they will promote the 麻豆社
Sport Academy website.
Rugby
Special returns
Rugby
Special also returns to 麻豆社 TWO on Sunday 15 February
and runs through to the end of the season.
The
show will be recorded in rugby clubs immediately after the Sunday
international match for broadcast that night at 11.45pm, with a
Friday afternoon repeat on 麻豆社 TWO.
John
Inverdale and studio guests along with rugby fans will wrap up the
talking points of seven hours of live coverage each weekend.
Once
the championship is over, the show will have a Sunday lunchtime
slot for the remainder of its 13 week run, broadcast live from rugby
clubs across Britain including Blackheath, Worcester, premiership
clubs and clubs in Edinburgh, Dublin and Cardiff.
Rugby
clubs can enter a competition for their club to be the venue for
the last show in the series.
Notes
to Editors
RBS
Six Nations is exclusive to 麻豆社 across TV and interactive TV, radio,
and online.
麻豆社
also has live and exclusive rights to Powergen Cup and Celtic Autumn
Internationals.
Highlights
include England Home Internationals and Zurich Premiership.
X-Change
(a C麻豆社 TV programme) will run the short films shown in 麻豆社 rugby
coverage during half term as part of their Tips and Tricks feature.
In
addition, X-Change will run a competition to win the chance to be
a rugby mascot.
The
Sport Academy website was launched in July 2002.
In
October 2003 the site registered more than eight million page impressions.
There
are 11 core sports covered, including rugby, plus another sports
index with information on everything from American football to snow
and skate-boarding.
The
grass roots initiative
For
England, the offer will be:
声
A
competition for schools to get involved in rugby linking to the
RFU World Champions 2003 Sweet Chariot Tour from February to May
2004.
声
Prizes include the chance to play at Twickenham before a major international
plus school visit by the Webb Ellis trophy. Other prizes will include
RFU rugby equipment plus a training session from a top rugby coach.
声
In addition, the 麻豆社 short films will be made available to run as
background content to the World Champions 2003 Sweet Chariot Tour
and there will be a Junior Academy Reporter competition on the tour
where young people will write a 100 word report about rugby and
the winner will spend a day working with the Academy team.
For
Scotland the offer will be:
声
A competition for schools to predict the results of all Six Nations
games in 2004.
声
There will be prizes each week plus the chance to visit a major
game at Murrayfield for the overall winners.
For Wales the offer will be:
声
A competition for clubs to play rugby at Under 12 and Under 14 level.
声
The overall finalists will watch a major international at the Millennium
Stadium. There will also be regional prizes.
声
The
games are 12-a-side tag rugby with a minimum of four girls in each
team.
For
Ireland, the offer will be:
声
A competition for primary and secondary schools throughout Ireland
to get involved in rugby.
声
First prize will be the chance to play at Lansdowne Road before
one of the Autumn internationals.
声
Two additional prizes of an IRFU kitbag plus visit by a top rugby
coach.
For
more information, log onto
Related
release
Six
Nations 2004 - live and exclusive on the 麻豆社 (16.01.04)
All
the 麻豆社's digital services are now available on ,
the new free-to-view digital terrestrial television service, as well
as on satellite and cable. Freeview
offers the 麻豆社's eight television channels, interactive services
from 麻豆社i, as well as 11 national 麻豆社 radio networks.
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