Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens’ Post

Four Asian Rugby Unions Join Forces for Unions Cup to Boost 15s Rugby Growth As we wrapped up the Singapore Rugby Sevens, a landmark event took place that promises to enhance the landscape of rugby in Asia. The Singapore Rugby Union, alongside the rugby unions of Thailand , Chinese Taipei, and the Philippine Rugby Football Union Inc, have signed a groundbreaking Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). 🤝 The Unions Cup: A New Chapter for Rugby in Asia Set to kick off from June 28 to July 6, 2024, the inaugural Unions Cup aims to boost 15s rugby and increase playing opportunities across Eastern and Southeast Asia. This marks a significant commitment to nurturing close-border rivalries, increased playing opportunities and the potential to expand to women's games next year. 🔄 Rotating Hosts, Building Traditions Each participating country will take turns hosting the annual tournament, enhancing the engagement and excitement around #rugby in the region. This collaborative effort not only aims to strengthen the #sport but also to attract commercial partners and align with the broader goals of World Rugby. 🌏 A Unified Vision The aspiration for the Unions Cup is to grow into a six-country tournament to become the equivalent of the Six Nations Rugby. As we look towards the 2025 Women’s Rugby World Cup and the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup, initiatives like the Unions Cup are pivotal in promoting the 15s game.   The future of rugby in Asia is stronger, united, and more exciting than ever!   RugbyDAO Web3 Sports Ventures #AsiaRugby #RugbyUnion #UnionsCup Photo Credit: Asia Rugby

This is well worth the read for anyone interested in #rugby , as well as #blockchain and #dao . Thanks for the update James William de Mortimer , as always a well written article.

#BlowtheWhistle - As the New Zealand Rugby Board, resists the idea of a Pasifika voice at its governance table, should we be asking of ourselves these uncomfortable questions of them and us? Is Rugby, much like other institutions, who have utilised our Pasifika sinews and bones, forged on the moana, as simply a commodity, and as it has seen fit? That Rugby institutions, like other institutions have set parameters around our ability to self-determine what that is, where that is, for who and for how much - muzzling our voice to ultimately benefit just themselves their Unions and TV channels? In fact, one could suggest that rugby, this iconic piece of New Zealand consciousness, is a microcosm of the kind of control and benefit driven by capitalism, and profit that our moana bodies have given from factory floors to rugby fields, and that we have given them like we have done, sadly, with our children’s bodies in State and Faith care - both abused by a system we trusted? We as people of the moana, I also question, have we participated in this, and are we entirely victims in this whole transactional process? Why do we readily give up our sons and daughters to sport, to schools, communities, workplaces and faith communities that at times do not give them the opportunity to grow and build and move on or up as they see fit and determine? And for the few that do succeed, we hear of them, we hold them up, we celebrate them, and so we should. But if our aspirations, especially of that initial migrant moana community, were so this very small, tiny piece of us would know and understand success - then maybe we need to ask ourselves, as to whether that is a true collective measure of success? And finally, the institution of NZ Rugby demonstrates what it actually believes about our bodies, our sons, our daughters and our many years and levels of contribution to the sport of Rugby. When it closes the door on our voice and does not allow our seat at the Rugby governance table...Have we not earned it..because we don't want to just be on the field and wall...we also want to be at the table? #PacificGovernance #PacificVoices #PacificPlayers #ManaseToa

THE BEST RESULTS IN EDEN PARK'S HISTORY: - Net Operating Profit for the year ended 31 October 2023: $12,157m - Adjusted net operating profit excluding MBIE contributions: $8,263m - Total attendance for all events: 1,031,714 We wish to share our sincere appreciation for everyone who visited Eden Park, hosted their events on the hallowed turf or in the stadium's function spaces, supported the Park via unique partnerships and strategic relationships, and helped to deliver 12 exceptional months of memorable moments that will last beyond our lifetime. Key Highlights: Unprecedented revenue growth: Eden Park has achieved an outstanding 125% increase in total revenue for the 12 months to 31 October 2023. This significant growth is attributed to an unprecedented major event calendar, enhancing stadium utilisation by offering a diverse range of events and functions, supplementary non-game day revenue streams, operational efficiency, and strategic partnerships. Sold-Out Events: Eden Park hosted an extraordinary event calendar with over 1 million people attending a diverse range of events and functions during the twelve-month period. Nearly 100,000 Ed Sheeran fans attended two concerts and 371,000 football fans enjoyed fixtures at Eden Park. Notably, Eden Park rewrote history books for New Zealand’s biggest football match attendance, male or female, with 43,217 people packing the stadium for three FIFA Women’s World Cup matches. Operational Efficiency: Eden Park continues to demonstrate operational excellence, optimising costs without compromising the quality of event delivery. Eden Park’s prudent approach to cost management and the focus on balancing costs against the size and scale of events is a key contributor to these record-breaking results. Strategic Partnerships: Eden Park continued to forge strategic relationships with icon partners, hirers, sponsors and the community to provide opportunities to fully utilise Eden Park. These collaborations not only enhanced overall fan engagement but also demonstrated the stadium as a platform for businesses to connect with their stakeholders. Sincere thanks to Eden Park's partners and supporters. Sustainability Action Plan: Eden Park has introduced a Sustainability Action Plan focused on economic development, environmental resilience and social well-being. This Plan leverages existing sustainability projects including conversion of stadium lighting to LED, removal of plastics from food & beverage operations, Morningside Urban Market Garden, onsite composting, Eden Park beehives, integrated ticketing to encourage use of public transport, installation of Quiet Rooms for visitors with sensory needs, installation of EV charging stations, use of virtual on-field logos, water harvesting for irrigation, e-waste and water bore collaboration with WaterCare which saves 16m litres of water every year. Eden Park, New Zealand Nick Sautner

We observe the South Island NRL Bid being compared with others. Confident in being the next club granted approval to join, we strongly advocate for expanding the National Rugby League men's and women's competitions to 20 teams as soon as feasible. This expansion should ensure sustainability where clubs, players, and communities can prosper. We believe that the South Island of #NewZealand has all the inputs for early success, similar to what was seen with the Melbourne Storm. We believe Rugby league is the premier sport in Australasia, given its extensive reach across the entire Pacific. We acknowledge and respect the efforts of everyone involved in the bid application process, from #PNG to #WesternAustralia. As part of the #rugbyleague community, we aim to collectively strengthen and cement rugby league's position as the leading sport in the Southern Hemisphere. The below analysis was completed on Australian fans in 2021; we plan to share similar data on the New Zealand and Pacific markets in the coming weeks. #NRL

Our rugby blog for the week is now published and live. Today, our discussion is about the growth and development of professional rugby in Japan - as a business division of major corporations. "Over the past few decades, Japan has seen significant growth in its professional rugby scene, transforming from a country where rugby was a niche sport to one that is now recognized on the global stage. The development of professional rugby in Japan is closely tied to its unique structure, where teams are owned and heavily funded by wealthy corporations. This article explores the evolution of professional rugby in Japan, the role of corporate ownership, and ranks the top 10 wealthiest teams in the Japan Rugby League One." To read more of the article, click on the link below: https://lnkd.in/gztiU5kr #sportscontent #blog #writing #reading #rugbyunion #sportsmarketing #marketing #business #sportsbiz

In a recent post, I stated the financial imbalance between Premiership Rugby, United Rugby Championship & The #Top14, driven by media rights that are considerably greater in favour of the #French League, will see the conitunued outflow of British Players to #France to seek greater renumeration. It's pretty much 101 #supplyanddemand #ecomomics. However, there is a further underlining issue that is much more difficult for the #PremiershipRugby to rectify that puts them at a long-term competitive disadvantage. Over the last couple of decades with heathly promotion and relegation, we've seen the emergence of well-financed 'large-market' city clubs, evenly distributed across France, rise to the top of the #Top14, while many of the traditional 'smaller-town' South-West clubs now residing in #ProD2 or even below. Whereas, the #English league has, for all intents and purposes, become a pseudo ‘closed league’, with clubs residing in the smaller towns or city suburds. The #Premiership has no representation in many of the major city markets, leading to a geographical non-profit maximization scenario. In simple terms if you were starting from scratch Club's would ideally be evenly spread across all the major city markets, in order to maximise the league's audience and revenue potential. The ownership and governance structure of the #Premeriship, where incumbent clubs, along with CVC Capital Partners, own the league and make all the decisions, will naturally, lean strongly towards promoting the continuation of the status quo in terms of it's club representation. Turkeys are not going to vote for Christmas! It therefore seems logical to assume, with this along the media rights disparity, the English are in danger of being in a long-term state of systemic negative competitive imbalance in relation to their French counterparts and number one competitors. #Rugby #SportsEconomics #EnglandRugby #FrenchRugby #economics #sportseconomy #CVC #privatequity #competition England Rugby FFR - Fédération Française de Rugby Ligue Nationale de Rugby European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR) World Rugby Rugby Europe Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU) WRU - Welsh Rugby Union Scottish Rugby

🚨 🇦🇺 🏉 ✊ “Nothing could be more important at this time than a focus on winning the hearts and minds of Australian rugby fans” Australian Rugby Think Tank Report: Insights and Innovations for a Thriving Future. As Australian Rugby stands at a pivotal crossroads, the RugbyDAO has spearheaded an essential dialogue through an Australian Rugby Think Tank, uniting key stakeholders to deliberate on the future of this storied Australia. With the 2025 Lions Tour, the 2027 Men’s Rugby World Cup, and the 2029 Women’s Rugby World Cup on the horizon, the imperative to fortify the sport's foundation and propel it toward a prosperous future has never been more urgent. This report encapsulates the insights, recommendations, and strategic pathways discussed during the think tank. Delving into critical areas such as grassroots engagement, performance pathways, and fan engagement, offering a blueprint for a commercially viable, globally competitive, and community-centric rugby ecosystem. The report reveals passion and optimism in a fragmented landscape and highlights the necessity for a unified strategy that prioritises community development, leverages technological innovation, and redefines fan engagement. This is a call to action for immediate change but also a platform for deeper investigation into cultivating a thriving rugby culture that resonates with Australians from all walks of life. We invite the entire Australian and global rugby community—players, coaches, fans, and stakeholders—to engage with the findings and participate in a constructive dialogue. Together, we can address the challenges and seize the opportunities that lie ahead, ensuring a vibrant and resilient future for Australian Rugby. Feel free to start or join the conversation in any of our channels by commenting below, joining our discord or following us on twitter (X). Links in the comments. Explore the full report below and join us in helping to shape the renaissance of Australian Rugby. #AustralianRugby #rugby #sport #RugbyDAO #RugbyRevival #FutureOfRugby #rugbyrevolution

Our rugby blog for the week is now published and live. Today, our discussion is about the growth and development of professional rugby in Japan - as a business division of major corporations. "Over the past few decades, Japan has seen significant growth in its professional rugby scene, transforming from a country where rugby was a niche sport to one that is now recognized on the global stage. The development of professional rugby in Japan is closely tied to its unique structure, where teams are owned and heavily funded by wealthy corporations. This article explores the evolution of professional rugby in Japan, the role of corporate ownership, and ranks the top 10 wealthiest teams in the Japan Rugby League One." To read more of the article, click on the link below: https://lnkd.in/gztiU5kr #rugby #blog #contentcreation #writing #sports #sportsmarketing #marketing #business #players #sportsagents #japan #asia

Here is merely one more voice advocating the necessity for the provision of a tract of land that can be set aside for private operators (no burden on govt coffers) to build and operate sports fields and courts; making them easily available for long term use. The loss of Turf City, Horse City, Fairways Drive, Kranji Racecourse and soon to be Marina Bay Sands golf course, merely highlights the need to replenish sports facilities, somewhere on the island. What a photo below, the two teams in warm, mutually empathetic engagement, having fun and developing so many life skills in the process.