WELLINGTON: In one of the biggest sponsorship deals in the world of rugby, global beverage giant Red Bull has been named as the title sponsor and official partner of Ignite7, New Zealand’s All Blacks’ recently launched nationwide talent identification program. The All Blacks have been renowned for their success and innovation in the game since decades and this is an initiative to carry forward the legacy which can be seen in the fact that the program has received more than 500 registrations since its launch in July.
The partnership and sponsorship agreement will be in place for the next three years in what represents the first major step into the New Zealand rugby market for Red Bull. While New Zealand Rugby’s (NZR) head of marketing, brand and retail ventures, Todd Barberel believes that the partnership represented an opportunity for rugby to reach out to new audiences.
“This relationship adds another element of excitement and energy to the Ignite7 concept and Red Bull share our goal of creating meaningful pathways for young athletes to achieve their goals on the world stage.
“Red Bull is known as a high energy youth brand and we believe that aligns well with the dynamic and performance focused elements of Sevens rugby and also with the sport’s increasingly youthful fan base.” Barberel said.
Red Bull’s involvement in athlete development is well established in the Australasian country, with freestyle skier Nico Porteous and surfer Kehu Butler among their sponsored athletes achieving on the world stage. Internationally, Red Bull sponsors several international rugby players including USA Sevens star Carlin Isles.
NZR launched Red Bull Ignite7 with an open invitation to athletes under 20-years-old to register their interest for a four-day event that will see 48 male and 48 female hopefuls put through their paces at Trusts Arena in Waitakere from 21 to 24 November.
Several athletes had already begun a five-week rugby training course designed to upskill them in preparation for Red Bull Ignite7. Three male and three female athletes will earn a place at the 2019 New Zealand Sevens Development Camp where they will train alongside the All Blacks Sevens and Black Ferns Sevens squads.
