City of Rugby project gets a new website
The City of Rugby website – www.cityofrugby.org - is sporting a brand new appearance to capitalise on interest in the sport.
Since the City of Rugby project was set up in April 2016 more than 60,000 people from across Coventry and Warwickshire have participated or watched a form of rugby, and an online hub has now been revamped to capture the next generation of players, coaches, volunteers, fans and officials.
City of Rugby is a city-led programme aiming to inspire youngsters to take up the sport as it looks to make Coventry a world leader in rugby by 2023 – rugby’s 200th anniversary.
The new-look website has been designed by Leamington-based design and marketing agency Identity Studio, and has been transformed into a one-stop-shop guide to rugby across the Coventry and Warwickshire region.
Key sections include a ‘Rugby & Coventry’ page to help beginners understand the rules of the sport across both rugby league and union and various player positions, as well as a ‘Play, Watch, Volunteer’ page to help connect people with their local rugby club.
There is also a dedicated page for schools, colleges and universities looking to enrich their offering with rugby courses or come and try sessions. Officiating is also a key part of the game, and a ‘Coaching, Refereeing’ section has also been created promoting RFU accredited courses to help people become fully qualified.
Tom Clift is from Coventry Sports Foundation and has been overseeing the website’s transformation. He said:
The City of Rugby website is a key tool in helping to channel the interest in rugby into the right places across the region in rugby union and rugby league.
For example, a child taking part in Coventry Sports Foundation’s Engage! Values Programme might want to continue playing the sport in their spare time, but needs to know how they can go about this and what are the nearest accredited clubs to them locally.
Our website’s ‘Play, Watch, Volunteer’ section provides an outlet for this, and we’re hoping the easier navigation of the website will help to capitalise on the interest ourselves and our partners are generating out in the community.
Not all local rugby clubs manage to run and update their own website, and this site can also be a platform for them to have a presence on to advertise themselves to prospective players, businesses and volunteers in their local area, whilst promoting fixtures and key club events.
We have also added a section on sponsorship to the website. Across all partners we currently reach out to over ten thousand young people a year – providing a great advertising opportunity – and any funding or in kind support we receive can go straight back into providing more opportunities to the existing and future generations of rugby players.
Anyone who wants to add any club news or event information to the site should email tom.clift@engagecoventry.com