I am delighted to announce that BT is to become the official principal partner of GBWR. The three year partnership deal will help us continue to transform the sport and get more people than ever playing, officiating, volunteering and watching the game. This is an amazing opportunity for us as BT is an iconic GB brand and one of the world’s leading providers of communications services and solutions, serving customers in more than 170 countries.
Summary of the partnership:
• BT National Youth Programme. We will build on the youth initiatives we have piloted over the last 2 years and continue to work with existing partners such as the Harlequins and Saracen’s Foundations to provide the game for up to 400 young people over the next 3 years, creating at least 10 youth teams.
• BT National Championships. BT will help us to grow this into a showcase event for all teams taking part and to make it attractive to spectators as a great family day out. The first BT championships will be May bank holiday this year in the Copperbox at the Olympic Park.
• BT Great Britain National Team. BT will provide additional support to help further our ambitions to become a medal winning team.
• BT World Wheelchair Rugby Challenge 2015. BT will be the title sponsor of the first ever WWRC – this amazing event will be even more amazing with BT’s support and will further raise the public’s interest in our sport.
• BT Wheelchair Rugby Community Programme. BT will provide additional support to help us grow programmes such as Rugby Wheels and SIUs and our Super Series tournament which will be renamed the BT Super Series.
The formal announcement of the partnership will take place at Twickenham this morning with Suzi Williams, BT’s Global Brand & Marketing Director, GBWR Ambassador and England rugby star Mike Brown, GBWR Captain Mike Kerr and GB athletes Coral Batey and Chris Ryan and myself.
I am sure you will be as excited as I am about this partnership. This is a big deal for a Paralympic sport such as ours and I am convinced that BT, with its proud history of support for disability sport, will really help us take the sport to a whole new level.
David Pond
