This weekend sees the first ever BT National Championships and it promises to be the best domestic event ever with something for everyone. This officially kicks off our partnership with BT and we welcome them into the family of wheelchair rugby and look forward to working together. The weekend is set for families to come and watch the action on court but at the same time enjoy some of the other activities on offer including wheelchair rugby taster sessions (the kids will love these!) and a chance to meet GB players. Visitors will be able to visit the club hub to learn more about the sport and on Monday a Help For Heroes team will play a GB Community team before the start of the Nationals final. At the same time we will be offering some great community activity with Woodbridge WRC giving demos in the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park and Paul Arnold and Luke White delivering coaching sessions to various groups including the RFU National Youth Council. The weekend also sees our first group of fully trained volunteers in action including several BT employees. Our chair partner Roma Sports will also be available throughout the weekend and are also a significant sponsor of the event so thank you to our friends from Bridgend.
But at the heart of this bank holiday extravaganza is of course the competition! Playing in the Copper Box Arena will be a dream come true for many club players. Having chatted to a number of you at the recent Super Series event I know how excited you are to be playing in this international venue. It will look stunning with the new BT branding and I think that everyone will naturally want to raise their game and challenge for the trophies. And what a challenge it promises to be! Congratulations to Crash, Sharks and Gloucester for winning their Super Series divisions – but with Tigers, Bulls and Ospreys close behind there could be some interesting games. I hope everyone will be able to stay on and enjoy the final and the presentations. Suzy Christopher, Head of BT Communications Marketing & Brand will present the Cup and Shield trophies and the individual Best in Class awards at 2.30pm – see you there!
David Pond
