England fly-half Danny Cipriani kicks off nationwide competition to find the Official Rugby World Cup 2015 Flag Bearers
Emirates and England rugby players call on teenage fans to find the flags and win the chance to lead out a team at Rugby World Cup 2015
LONDON, ENGLAND, 26 May 2015: Today Emirates, a global connector of people, places and passions, and its team of rugby ambassadors Danny Cipriani, Ben Foden, Mark Cueto and Jamie Noon launched a flag hunt in the first four Rugby World Cup 2015 host cities – London, Manchester, Newcastle and Birmingham – to find the Official Flag Bearers for the Tournament.
Emirates and the rugby players will be hiding flags in each of the eleven host cities over the next eleven weeks and sharing clues on social media for fans to follow. Open to 14-16 year olds, the competition will give the rugby stars of tomorrow the chance to win the once-in-a-lifetime experience of leading a team out of the tunnel in to a packed stadium at one of the 48 Rugby World Cup 2015 matches.
With more than 80 Flag Bearers to recruit, hopefuls will need to uncover the photographic clues shared on Emirates Facebook, Twitter or Instagram and find the flag between 9am-9pm*. Once located, entrants need to upload a flag selfie, using the #EmiratesFlag to be in with a chance to win.
Inspiring fans to celebrate Rugby World Cup 2015 coming to the sport’s birth place, each valid entrant will also be entered into a draw to win the ultimate honour of leading out one of the world’s best teams for the Final at Twickenham on 31 October.
Danny Cipriani, England and Sale Sharks fly-half, said: “As a player, nothing compares to the feeling of walking out with your team through the tunnel into a stadium packed full of supporters, especially on your home turf. Emirates is giving fans up and down the country the chance to follow in the footsteps of sporting greats, and be part of bringing rugby to their home city.”
Laurie Berryman, Emirates UK Vice President, said: “As an Official Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup 2015, Emirates is proud to be connecting passionate rugby fans from across the world in the home of the sport this autumn. The Find the Flag competition will give young fans from across the UK a chance to celebrate rugby coming home and connect them to the sport with a truly unforgettable experience.”
Following the launch today in London, Manchester, Newcastle and Birmingham, the Find the Flag competition will visit the remaining seven host cities over the next eleven weeks, returning to London on 1 August. Below are the dates of when the flag will be hidden in each city:
Location Date
London, Manchester, Newcastle & Birmingham 27 May
Brighton 13 June
Cardiff 20 June
Leicester 27 June
Exeter 4 July
Gloucester 11 July
Milton Keynes 18 July
Leeds 25 July
London (East) 1 August
The Find the Flag competition is part of Emirates Rugby World Cup 2015 Worldwide partnership, building on the brand’s rich rugby heritage and extensive portfolio of top-class rugby sponsorships. It first sponsored Rugby World Cup 2007 in France as a Tournament Sponsor, then became a Worldwide Partner for Rugby World Cup 2011 in New Zealand, and became the first Worldwide Partner to sign an agreement for both Rugby World Cup 2015 and 2019, which will be held in Japan.
Follow the Find the Flag competition on Emirates social channels and for more details about Emirates sports sponsorship visit emirates.com/sponsorship.
