Irish rugby stars Donnacha Ryan, Andrew Trimble and Sean Cronin have urged rugby clubs, across the country, to enter the Ulster Bank RugbyForce initiative before the April 12th deadline. Ulster Bank RugbyForce provides rugby clubs with support to renovate their club and upgrade their facilities. This year, five clubs will be selected to receive a €5,000 prize – with one coming down to a public vote. The winning clubs will also receive a special training session from an IRFU coach and two Irish Rugby stars.
All rugby clubs are invited to register online, at www.ulsterbank.com/rugby before Friday 12th April to be in with a chance of winning. Clubs who are shortlisted but not selected by the judges as winners will then be put to a public vote, whereby club and community members can vote for the club of their choice from 22nd- 26th April 2013. The winning clubs will then carry out the improvements during the planned 2013 Ulster Bank RugbyForce Day – where a team of local volunteers, club members and Ulster Bank employees will take over the club to help with the renovations of their club facilities.
Now it in its third year, Ulster Bank continues to show their dedication to grassroots rugby through their partnership with the IRFU as the ‘Official Community Partner’. Last year Ulster Bank RugbyForce received entries from almost 100 clubs across the country, with 54 clubs receiving funding and hundreds of volunteers from the clubs and communities taking part in the designated Ulster Bank RugbyForce Day.
Speaking about the initiative, Jim Ryan, Managing Director of Ulster Bank’s Branch Banking, said:
“Ulster Bank is dedicated to the future of Irish rugby. Fostering grassroots rugby and supporting rugby clubs and communities, across the country, will allow us to continue to excel in this great sport. Ulster Bank RugbyForce gives rugby supporters, friends and family the chance to give something back to their local community. I encourage all rugby clubs to enter to be in with a chance of winning this fantastic prize.”
The initiative is part of RBS Group’s, Ulster Bank’s parent company, wider RugbyForce programme that is delivered with their retail divisions partners across the UK. In partnership with the respective rugby unions and underpinned by their sponsorship of the RBS 6 Nations, the initiative helps clubs at the grassroots of the game to improve their facilities. Since RugbyForce’s launch in 2009 it has attracted a significant number of clubs to register.
Rugby fans can now get the latest club and international rugby content on the go, with the Ulster Bank Rugby iPhone app. Ulster Bank League fixtures, results, news and analysis can be accessed on Ulster Bank’s rugby Facebook and Twitter pages. Rugby clubs can enter RugbyForce on Ulster Bank’s dedicated rugby website – www.ulsterbank.com/rugby – where extensive analysis and information on previous RugbyForce winners can also be found.
The winning clubs will receive:
· Goods and resources up to the value of €5,000 to go towards the club’s RugbyForce Day
· A training session with an IRFU coach and 2 Irish international players
· 50 T-shirts for the volunteer workforce
· A signed framed jersey
· Enhanced media support
· Commemorative Ulster Bank RugbyForce Plaque
· Terms and conditions apply and can be found at www.ulsterbank.com/rugby
The Increased support pack for the first 50 clubs includes:
· €250 to go towards the club’s RugbyForce event
About Ulster Bank Group
Ulster Bank was founded in 1836 and is part of The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) Group. Across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland the Bank employs approximately 6000 people who serve over 1.9 million personal and business customers through 236 branches, 59 business banking offices and over 1,100 ATM’s.
For more information, visit http://www.ulsterbank.ie or http://www.ulsterbank.co.uk
