(PR.co.nz) All Blacks fans in New Zealand and the United Kingdom have plenty to look forward to with Telecom and the New Zealand Rugby Union (NZRU) today announcing that Telecom will again sponsor the All Blacks upcoming tour.
Telecom and BackingBlack, the All Blacks supporters’ movement which Telecom helped establish, are the backers of the tour which will be called the Telecom BackingBlack Tour. It’s the second year in a row that Telecom has sponsored the All Blacks end of year tour, following the hugely successful sponsorship in 2009.
The All Blacks squad for the Telecom BackingBlack Tour will be announced on Sunday 17 October and the team departs on Saturday 23 October.
CEO of Telecom Retail, Alan Gourdie, says it was an easy decision to sponsor the tour.
“What we’re focused on with our support of the All Blacks is giving fans opportunities to get closer to and connect with the team in the lead up to 2011 and beyond.
“We helped set up BackingBlack as a means of achieving this and the response has been amazing, with more than 11,000 fans signed up in support so far,” says Mr Gourdie.
NZRU Commercial Manager, Paul Dalton, welcomed Telecom’s sponsorship of the end of year tour.
“Telecom has been a loyal supporter of the All Blacks over a number of years and we’re delighted to again have them on board with the Telecom BackingBlack Tour.
“It’s also been great to see the development of BackingBlack as a fan-driven supporters’ movement. I certainly know the players appreciate the support and have enjoyed mixing it up with BackingBlack members off the field,” says Mr Dalton.
Through BackingBlack, two lucky All Blacks fans from New Zealand will win a trip to Cardiff to watch the final test match of the tour against Wales on 28 November, as well as spend some one-on-one time with the players.
However, fans left behind in New Zealand won’t miss out. The BackingBlack website and Facebook page will provide fans with insights into life on tour with the All Blacks, and help them connect with the team through news, blogs and video content.
UK-based fans will also be able to get closer to the All Blacks on tour through weekly BackingBlack events involving players.
To join BackingBlack or for more information please visit www.backingblack.co.nz
The team will leave with the latest Telecom mobiles to keep connected with family and friends back home.
Media Release 14 October 2010 from Telecom New Zealand.