Making an impact; on and off the pitch with RLWC 2021

The delayed 2021 Rugby League World Cup promised to be the biggest, best and most inclusive event ever hosted by the sport and we were thrilled that it was happening all across the North of England, our heartland! After a large and lengthy competitive selection process with various twists and turns along the way, our parent company Cravens eventually won the account to promote and market the event, driving interest, engagement and ultimately ticket sales.

The tournament was to kick off in Newcastle, right on our doorstep. But before that, we had to create a series of content films - to raise awareness of the event, the goals, the venues and the fixtures. These would run on digital platforms as well as TV. The media plan included radio, out-of-home and digital displays. There were just a couple of obstacles to overcome first…

You see after the lockdown, Rugby League like many other sports had already postponed this event with Australia and New Zealand unable to attend the original dates. But there had also been very little rugby league played with almost no friendlies or competitive international matches. This meant that getting hold of electrifying footage of current international stars was extremely difficult. So many of our biggest challenges were logistical ones - how to get hold of footage showing the would-be stars of the tournament. How to get crowd shots during such uncertain times when gatherings were still problematic.

We created a series of filming windows with professional players, grassroots clubs, fans, families and celebrity supporters and travelled all over the UK to seize the moments and create our promotional and brand films. Working with multi-award-winning sports director John Grint, Prod’s producers, camera ops and post teams worked tirelessly to create great-looking, impactful content. This was all about creating a real impact to celebrate a World Cup which brought together men’s, women’s and wheelchair rugby at the same tournament for the first time.

Ticket sales were buoyant, The event itself was a triumph. And for anyone lucky enough to witness the men’s wheelchair final between England and France - many converts were made to an exciting new competition.