Birmingham Rugby World Cup fanzone prepares to welcome fans
Fans can experience the excitement and atmosphere of the Rugby World Cup with thousands of others at Birmingham’s official fanzone, which opens in Eastside Park on Friday (18th) ready for the opening game between England and Fiji.
The fanzone is free to enter and will be open from Friday, September 18, to Sunday, September 20, and then again from Wednesday, September 23, to Sunday, September 27. Villa Park will be hosting South Africa vs Samoa on September 26 and Australia vs Uruguay the following day.
There will be a big screen showing live matches and other rugby content, as well as ‘have-a-go’ rugby activities including skills zones, inflatable rugby challenges and a mini pitch for small-sided games. There will also be fairground rides, covered viewing areas and a range of refreshment stalls.
The fanzone will also play host to organised invitational rugby sessions for local schools, rugby clubs, universities and businesses, plus women’s and girls’ groups, all of whom will benefit from expert coaching delivered by official England Rugby development coaches, as well as local rugby clubs.
, Deputy Leader of Birmingham City Council, said: “Don’t worry if you didn’t get tickets for either of the Rugby World Cup matches at Villa Park because you can still join thousands of rugby fans in Birmingham’s official fanzone to soak up the excitement and atmosphere of these games and other matches during the tournament, including the opening game between England and Fiji.
“This has been a particularly exciting year for Birmingham in terms of major sporting events – something for which we have a strong track record – and I am delighted that in addition to hosting two games at Villa Park, we are also hosting one of just 15 official fanzones for the tournament. I hope that as many rugby fans as possible take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to join others in this nationwide celebration of the sport at Eastside Park.”
Further information is available by visiting www.rwc2015bham.co.uk.
-ENDS-
Notes to Editors
The fanzone opening times are as follows:
Friday, September 18, 12.30pm-11pm: England vs Fiji (8pm)
Saturday, September 19, 10.30am-11pm: Tonga vs Georgia (12pm), Ireland vs Canada (2.30pm), South Africa vs Japan (4.45pm), France vs Italy (8pm)
Sunday, September 20, 10.30am-9pm: Samoa vs USA (12pm), Wales vs Uruguay (2.30pm), New Zealand vs Argentina (4.45pm)
Wednesday, September 23, 1pm-11pm: Scotland vs Japan (2.30pm), Australia vs Fiji (4.45pm), France vs Romania (8pm)
Thursday, September 24, 1pm-11pm: New Zealand vs Namibia (8pm)
Friday, September 25, 1pm-11pm: Argentina vs Georgia (4.45pm)
Saturday, September 26, 10.30am-11pm: Italy vs Canada (2.30pm), South Africa vs Samoa (4.45pm), England vs Wales (8pm)
Sunday, September 27, 10.30am-9pm: Australia vs Uruguay (12pm), Scotland vs USA (2.30pm), Ireland vs Romania (4.45pm)
An additional screen at the Bullring will show matches for the duration of the tournament through to the final on October 31.
