It is difficult not to conclude that last week’s BT Community Festival and BT World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge represented a real game changer for wheelchair rugby in this country. This was the first time we had ever tried to mount a tournament of this scale and the first time such an event had been placed alongside the Rugby World Cup. Judged against most event criteria we should be proud of what was achieved. For me the most important thing was the athlete experience and having spoken to every team who took part I was happy that without exception all felt that it was a great event and all had enjoyed what one team called a truly ‘unforgettable experience’. Equally important was the spectator experience and here again I think we should feel proud as we presented the event in a way which really showcased the sport. The venue dressing exceeded anything seen in the sport before and with the use of lighting, smoke and music a real atmosphere of drama was created from the start. Venue match commentary from Brent Pope and Dave Rogers also played a huge part in engaging and entertaining the crowd.
But of course it was the rugby itself that really caught the attention and there were some outstanding games which showcased the sport at the highest level. We also saw some surprise results, particularly the USA defeat of Australia who had not been beaten since 2007. Finals day saw two epic games with Japan v Australia and USA v Canada providing the crowd with really entertaining rugby. From a GB perspective, the tournament provided a fantastic performance opportunity but also a realisation that although we are European Champions and our performance trajectory is upwards, we still have some way to go if we are to challenge for those medal positions. It was good to see some of our new talent in action and to witness the threat that athletes like Ayaz Bhuta and Jim Roberts can present. Johnny Coggan also still stands out as the world class player he is. But this may not be enough and the Performance Director and coaches will be reviewing the tournament as part of setting their plans for the coming year and beyond. There are still real opportunities for new talent to stake their claim for a GB place and the search for more high pointers in particular continues.
One of the real successes of the tournament was the ITV coverage. This was the first time that wheelchair rugby had been shown live as an event in its own right and on free to air TV. Everyone I have spoken to has commented on how well it was done. We owe a great debt to ITV for the investment they put into this and to the commentators who presented it in an informative and entertaining way. Martin Bayfield and Steve Brown did a fantastic job in the studio, supported by guest presenters such as Ugo Monyne and Jason Robinson whilst Mike Spence and Simon Williams developed a real rapport with one another and the listeners to communicate the game in an understandable and informative way.
Many people have commented that the venue often looked empty and it is true to say that we would have liked to have filled more seats. We are still working on the figures but we had around 9000 attendees plus schools and other groups. As part of reviewing the event we will look critically at this aspect and see if there were other things we might have done or changed so that we can take any lessons for future events. I was pleased however to see such a full venue for finals day where a real atmosphere was created.
We should also celebrate some of the other real highlights of the week: the first ever youth tournament; the H4H military tournament; the line of over 200 children queuing to collect autographs from the Wheelblacks; over 70 ‘Smashers’ who worked the event as volunteers; the sessions delivered by our development team to profoundly deaf children and to those with special needs – all are equally important indicators of how our sport is reaching new heights.
Finally, it would take up too much space to mention everyone here who merits a big thank you for all of the hard work it has taken to plan and deliver this event but you all know who you are and on behalf of our sport thank you so much. There is one exception and that is Martyn Salt the Event Director. He has worked on this for over a year and against a very tight budget – he merits special recognition – thank you!
David Pond
