MUMBAI: The biggest prize in the sport of rugby, the Webb Ellis Cup or simply the Rugby World Cup made its Mumbai stopover Wednesday as part of its Trophy Tour.
The tournament will be played for the first time in Asia next year with Japan being the host nation.
Speaking to SportzPower on the sidelines of the trophy presentation event at the city’s iconic Bombay Gymkhana, Aga Hussain, president of Asia Rugby, said that this is a win-win situation for all the stakeholders of the game.
The decision is in line with the body’s main purpose of raising awareness about the game in non-traditional markets through initiatives such as ‘Project Asia 1 Million’ that has already reached over 700,000 people in the continent, which is more than half of the ultimate target of 1 million by 2020. The period has also seen Japanese rugby reach greater heights with their on-the-field performances, which deserve to be rewarded.
Hussain revealed that as many as 2.5 million tickets will be on sale during the World Cup at very nominal rates to the public, which are $40, $70 and $100 for the quarterfinals, semi-finals and the final respectively. Asserting that the tournament is the third biggest event in sport after the FIFA World Cup and the Olympics, Hussain expressed confidence that Japan’s much reputed infrastructure and organizational abilities are good signs for the event’s success with its execution plans very much on track at present.
Brett Gosper, CEO of World Rugby, told SportzPower that the World Cup is expected to generate $514 million in revenues in 2019 as against $308 million earned from the 2015 edition in England. Hussain pointed out that 95% of the governing body’s revenues come from the tournament.
The 4-year period between the World Cups this time has seen them reinvest $342.4 million for the development of the world game in countries such as India, which has 25.7 million followers as per World Rugby’s largest-ever market research conducted recently in collaboration with Nielsen Sport. The country constitutes between 10-15% of fans worldwide, making it the third largest in the world after China and USA. This is something which has been taken note of, with population and commercial/economic value being their major criteria.
Hussain claims that World Rugby has three classification bands when it comes to development grants – A, B and C with India being in the ‘B’ category. Yet, seeing the potential of the game’s growth here, Asia Rugby is playing the role of the perfect facilitator in ensuring that World Rugby and Rugby India’s interests are met equally.
He opines that creating a systematic ‘structure and infrastructure’ for rugby is essential to attract more sponsorship in India especially from the national government and local authorities. He also highlighted the importance of the media in promoting the efforts of stakeholders with accountability such as international federations and governing bodies to grow the game, players and its fan base.
Asia Rugby’s contribution can be seen even in the woman’s game. For the first time in years, India’s U-19 team beat powerhouses Hong Kong in a match on their recent tour of the United Arab Emirates. Besides, 30-35% of rugby fans in India are women. Asia Rugby has worked hands-on with World Rugby for the latter’s ‘Get Into Rugby’ Programme that saw 160,000 participants in the game by 2017.
He also credited Societe Generale, the French financial services company, for being a genuine contributor to rugby’s progress, doubling up as Rugby India’s financial partner and World Rugby’s worldwide partner, having come on board since 2015 and extending their agreements till 2021.
The World Cup will be supported by five other global partners namely DHL, Land Rover, Master Card, Heineken and Emirates.
