Your club shirts needed for Twickenham Stadium
Want your club colours on a seat at Twickenham Stadium?
England Rugby is extending the #ShowYourShirt campaign throughout the Guinness Six Nations, following tremendous support for the initiative during the Quilter Internationals and Red Roses’ Test against France.
Close to 600 clubs sent their shirts to Twickenham to help create a visual representation of the community game over the autumn. We’re encouraging even more clubs to get involved during this latest lockdown to make sure your club is represented while members can’t physically be at Twickenham Stadium, or in the clubhouse watching the games together.
England Rugby wants to show as many club shirts as possible during our three home matches in the Guinness Six Nations (6 February against Scotland, 13 February against Italy and 13 March against France).
Each shirt will remind players of where they started their rugby careers, that we’re all still cheering them on from a distance and perhaps most importantly, will underline to everybody watching on TV the importance of grassroots rugby and the impact the pandemic is having on our community game.
RFU Rugby Development Director, Steve Grainger, said: “This campaign was created to recognise the efforts of rugby volunteers around the country during the pandemic and to show players who can’t currently play that they’re not forgotten. We’re delighted it proved so popular during the autumn and are pleased to be able to extend the campaign throughout the Guinness Six Nations. We already have around 600 shirts and invite as many clubs as are able to send theirs to Twickenham to showcase the colour and camaraderie of our community game.
“In normal times, club houses around the country would be filled with family and friends gathering together to watch England on TV during the Guinness Six Nations. As we know, we are sadly not in normal times. We hope that seeing your shirt and those of other clubs you play against will give players a buzz and a gentle reminder of what we will all enjoy again when lockdown restrictions can ease.
“We can’t thank our rugby volunteers enough for what they have done, and continue to do in support of their rugby communities. We’re doing all we can to support clubs in more practical terms, but this is a small gesture to show our clubs and counties across the country how important they are to the game as a whole.
“So many of the internationals we’ll watch during the Championship developed their skills and love for the game through club minis and junior sections. They understand how important a role clubs play within their communities. It will be good to take a moment to appreciate that at Twickenham Stadium and for the wider world to see it.”
“Grassroots rugby is, without doubt, the lifeblood of our game and it must be protected,” added RFU President Jeff Blackett.
“It is the rugby family which will ensure long-term growth, once we can see a return to the game, and we want to make sure that we keep the rugby family together during this crisis. That is why we want to recognise the continuing efforts of our rugby community.
“These are extraordinary times, but we are lucky to have such dedicated volunteers who give so much of their time and energy to their clubs and communities to make sure our young men and women will be able to continue to play the game that we all love in the future.”
Showcasing your shirts
If you would like your shirt to displayed at England v Scotland in the Calcutta Cup on 6 February, please make sure it arrives no later than Monday 1 February.
Simply print off this freepost label attach it to the package containing your shirt and send it to Twickenham free of charge from a post office. By sending your shirt in, you will be entered into a draw to win a signed England shirt for your club or CB. After the conclusion of the internationals the RFU intend to house the shirts permanently in the stadium.
What do we want?
- Your club colours – the shirt would in Large or X-Large and washed/clean.
- A note detailing the name of the club along with contact details.
How to post your shirt to us?
- Place your shirt in a large jiffy bag – the package needs to be under 1kg in weight.
- Print this label off and secure onto the parcel.
- Drop the parcel off at any Post Office.
For any questions contact MattFarnes@RFU.com.
