Virgin Australia’s Post

What do you do with the sheep after you get them over the bridge.

Sir Clive Woodward claims that the RFU has "sold its soul". I disagree. This week, England Rugby announced the expansion of a pioneering partnership that sees Allianz take on Naming Rights for Twickenham Stadium. (this is the 'soul selling' part). What followed was predictable levels of uproar, shared amongst Rugby Union's commonly dubbed 'traditionalists' (I prefer to think of them as proud champions of the sport!). Sure, I can understand why - the home of England Rugby is steeped in heritage and for the most part, has remained untouched (ignoring British Airways spot on the roof). However, there's a bright side to this story... The harsh reality of the situation is that Rugby Union has been in dire need of a cash injection for some time - from the elite level of the Men's and Women's game, through to grassroots and communities, we've been on the decline. Enter Allianz; a brand with their own rich heritage in the sport, not to mention a network of world class stadia around the globe - put simply, they know what they're doing. This is a partnership, not a sponsorship. Allianz are making a long-term commitment to deliver positive impact beyond bricks and mortar, as indicated by their mission "to help more people watch, support and participate in the sport they love". Promises have been made for a transformative partnership - one that will provide crucial support to organisations at the heart of the sport. Already, Colm Holmes, CEO of Allianz Holdings plc, has announced investment into a programme that will "provide significant investment to grassroots Rugby and help secure the future of the community game". This is what we need! I, for one, feel more optimistic about the future of 'my sport' than I did this time last week. What I hope though, is that the RFU don't shy away from the criticism this partnership has been met with, but rather, openly communicate their plans for reinvestment and redevelopment. Not enough noise is being made about the opportunity that lies ahead. P.S. There's nothing stopping you from continuing to call the ground "Twickenham" or "HQ"... Mongoose Sports & Entertainment #sportssponsorship #namingrights #twickenhamstadium #allianzstadium #sportsmarketing #sportsindustry

Cracking list on here

🔴 Last night, the best football team in London played in the "Champions League" and made it to the quarter finals ( Massive Achievement ). 🔴 Arsenal started the game against FC Porto needing to win by 2 goals in 90 mins but that didn't happen. 🔴 The pressure was on as it went to penalties; we stayed focused and got the job done. 💡 But how was this achieved? ▶ Hard work. ▶ Teamwork. ▶ Confidence. ▶ Great communication skills. ▶ Proactiveness. ▶ Resilience. ▶ If you're determined to achieve something, the chances are greater when you have all of the above key attributes. ▶ Regardless of the industry or sector you work in... Always remember that consistency is key and even when things don't go as planned NEVER GIVE UP! ▶ NO ONE CAN CONTROL YOUR DESTINITY APART FROM YOU! TAKE THE WHEEL. Ps. Arsenal is a great team to support, the team work hard and stay motivated its not too late to support the best club in London ! #COYG (🔴 ARSENAL 🔴) #arsenal #arsenalfc #fcporto #championsleague #football #motivacion #motivationalpost #whatdoyouthink

Regional Rugby in Ireland works because historically Ireland has been devided regionally. In NZ they have also been historically regional, in Scotland the Highlands and Lowlands etc... In Wales we have always been tribal (one valley will never support another), and as a result regions have never worked. It could be argued we should have gone with the 9 club option. 3 clubs west, 3 east and 3 in the centre. Supporters would have come out of the woodwork to support their valley or city. Arguably the crowds are woeful because people do not identify with the regional sides. Grassroots rugby is also too far removed from the regions. Does someone in Pontypridd identify with Cardiff? Perhaps the WRU need to rethink rugby in Wales or it may continue to decline. 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

As we go into the second weekend of a thrilling Six Nations, here’s a really timely story about the unintended benefits of lowering the tackle height (from shoulder height to sternum) in schools and across much of amateur Rugby Union. This was a controversial change. A year ago traditionalists were up in arms. Many feared it would ruin the sport as they knew it. In reality it has proved to do the opposite. While it’s too early to conclusively say that it has lowered the incidence of concussion, the anecdotal evidence is that there has been a significant improvement. And it has had another unintended consequence - because the rule leads to fewer two-on-one tackles, the ball-carrier can often offload the ball to a team mate. So as well as improving safety, rugby is getting faster and more enjoyable to watch, with fewer set-piece interruptions. Those of us in positions of influence in the game should take heart from this example. * Increasing player safety doesn’t have to come at the expense of the sporting spectacle. * Innovation is critical to the future of the sport. See you at Murrayfield. Come on Scotland! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 https://lnkd.in/eeBsRhR2

What does a good financial advisor do? They should allow you to spend as much of your precious free time as possible doing the things you cherish in life; taking away the worry and stress of whether you can afford things, or not, through continued close analysis of your investments - all whilst scenario planning your potential cash requirements. A trusted advisor should be there for you to lean into with any financial decision, if you want/need.

Irish Rugby.. Watching the Glasgow Warriors last night and this article it raised some questions and the need for some home truths- “Irish rugby has everything in place to be the most aligned rugby system in the world, yet there are clear signs that it’s been sorely lacking over the past four-year cycle and a lack of depth in key positions was obvious in Paris last October“ There are then questions around the IRFU’s crude commercialisation of the game alienating long standing supporters. Over hyping. Terrible athmosphere. It’s attitude to a range of issues from alcohol, concussion, gender and human rights. Does Irish rugby really challenge under performance on and off the field which should come with its new found commercialisation or is it still an old boys club albeit one the Irish tax payer subsidies? It’s true there’s excessive demand on tired players and poorer rugby but the golden period we have enjoyed in recent years may not last without the type of serious self reflection which preceded the professional era and which the IRFU is to be applauded for. Rugby is about more than money. Glasgow’s victory, a team with far less investment and hype than Leinster, really brought this out.

At a time when rugby union is struggling in North America, and despite not having the Eagles qualifying for the RWC23, Major League Rugby is attracting many former rugby icons, such as Matt Giteau, to name but one. Recently, Stade Toulousain, one of Europe's most prestigious clubs, joined forces with the Utah Warriors, striking a major blow on the American Rugby Union (XV) market. However, it is Rugby League (XIII) that is about to conquer the American market. This type of rugby, often described as more spectacular and rougher, is about to set foot in the United States. The economic strategy behind this move is questionable and highly risky... But "high-risk = high-reward". I can't wait to see if Rugby League (XIII) can make it on the American market before Rugby Union (XV) rugby does. Let's give it a try. ---------------------   French version available online   ---------------------   Selective by passion   #sponsorship #sports #marketing

Skipper Mitchell Marsh could face a ban if Australia manipulates Scotland's result to knock out England. Australia would risk losing Mitchell Marsh for up to two matches if they were to deliberately manipulate a result to help Scotland qualify for the #T20WorldCup Super Eights over England 😯 He could be charged under Article 2.11 of the ICC's code of conduct, which is designed to prevent the manipulation of games for "inappropriate strategic or tactical reasons… such as when a team deliberately loses a pool match in an ICC Event in order to affect the standings of other teams in that ICC Event." The code of conduct clarifies it could also apply to "the inappropriate manipulation of a net run rate" and the captain would be held responsible, and charged with a Level Two offence. Depending on the severity of the offence, this could carry a minimum sanction of a 50% match fee fine, with a maximum of four demerit points and two suspension points - which would rule Marsh out of Australia's first two Super Eight matches. #cricketnews #cricket #icc #aus