Rugby World Cup 2015 Official Fanzones and 100 day Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour route announced

• England Rugby 2015 announce the locations of the Official Fanzones and the route for the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour in the UK & Ireland
• 15 Fanzones: one in each Host City, one at the birth place of the Game in Rugby, and one in London’s Trafalgar Square
• Over 1 million people expected to visit Fanzones throughout the Tournament, which will include big screens, entertainment, food and drink and rugby activities
• A first for Rugby World Cup with an Official Fanzone in every Host City
• June 10 marks 100 days to go and will launch the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour in the UK & Ireland
• The 100 day continuous Tour will visit Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Wales and England and arrive at Twickenham Stadium on September 18 ahead of the Opening Ceremony
• The Trophy Tour will visit over 300 events ranging from community rugby programmes to Host City festivals and iconic national landmarks, with hundreds of opportunities for fans to see the Webb Ellis Cup
• Photos and maps can be downloaded here

With just under six months to go, England Rugby 2015 has announced the 15 Official Rugby World Cup 2015 Fanzone locations across England and in Cardiff. Fanzones will be located within each Host City as well as the birthplace of the game, Rugby, and Trafalgar Square, Central London.

Fanzones, which will be free to enter, will be open on matchdays and at varying times across the six week Tournament providing fans, residents and visitors with the opportunity to enjoy the build-up to matches and join in with the nationwide celebration of rugby. The Fanzone locations range from iconic town squares to city parks, match venue surroundings, and waterside spaces including the Docks in Gloucester and a Fanzone on the beach in Brighton. With capacities ranging from 2,000 to over 10,000, and additional events planned in the Fanzones outside of matchdays, over 1 million fans are anticipated in the Fanzones throughout the Tournament.

Each Fanzone will include a big screen; with some showing live Rugby World Cup 2015 matches, rugby activities, food and drink, entertainment and unique regional content to celebrate the Host City and Match Venue’s role in Rugby World Cup 2015. Trafalgar Square will be open from the weekend of the semi-finals until the Final and include entertainment, food and drink, and rugby activities on the semi-final, Bronze Final and Final matchdays. Outside of matchdays, the Square, along with a number of the Official Fanzones, will play host to grassroots and community rugby initiatives and events to celebrate the game and the wider Tournament.

You can view the Fanzone locations and opening dates* here.

A map of the Fanzone locations can be downloaded here.

In addition to making plans for the six week Tournament, fans can now look forward to the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour in the UK and Ireland with details also announced today. Launching on June 10 – 100 days to go to the opening match – rugby’s greatest prize, the Webb Ellis Cup, will travel through Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Wales and England counting down to the start of the Tournament before  arriving at Twickenham Stadium on September 18 ahead of the Opening Ceremony.

The Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour follows the successful International Trophy Tour, which has to date completed 12 of its 15 international visits with Canada (April 1 – 4), Germany (April 16 – 18) and France (May 11 – 13) still to go before the Webb Ellis Cup returns to England. The journey throughout the UK and Ireland aims to engage fans and give them the opportunity to build unforgettable memories as part of their own Rugby World Cup 2015 story.

Rugby is at the heart of the Trophy Tour schedule engaging with over 100 rugby clubs, organisations and rugby festivals, from grassroots to elite. In addition Host Cities, Match Venues, Team Bases, community and legacy programmes, sports events, stakeholder visits, Worldwide Partner activations and iconic landmarks will feature as part of the Trophy Tour with over 300 events programmed across the 100 day continuous tour. Details on the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour, including a high volume of events open to the general public, will be updated here in the coming months.

The dates and locations of the Trophy Tour can be found in the document attached.

A map of the Trophy Tour locations and photos can be downloaded here.

Debbie Jevans, Chief Executive Officer of England Rugby 2015, said: “With less than six months to go we are delighted to announce the locations of the Official Fanzones, alongside details of the 100 day Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour across the UK and Ireland. The countdown to Rugby World Cup 2015 is on and fans can now really begin to plan their Tournament experience, be it through watching the matches, through Fanzones, the Festival of Rugby and the Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour.

“We are pleased to deliver another Tournament first with an Official Fanzone in every Host City as well as additional Fanzones in Rugby – the birthplace of the Game – and London’s Trafalgar Square. We have worked with all our Host Cities, Local Authorities and the Mayor of London to identify a range of fantastic locations including city centres, parks, match venues and waterfronts to give fans, residents and visitors a uniquely regional experience and a focal point for celebrating the Tournament and the wider game of rugby. Capacities will range from 2,000 to over 10,000 and we would like to thank all of our Host Cities, Local Authorities and the Mayor of London for their fantastic support and we look forward to welcoming upwards of 1 million people to the Official Fanzones.

“The Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour will be the perfect opportunity to excite and engage fans across the UK and Ireland and make 2015 feel like the year of the rugby nation. Delivering a continuous 100 day tour means we can give as many fans as possible the opportunity to see the Webb Ellis Cup and tell us their rugby story as they countdown to their own Tournament experience. We have been delighted with the success of the international Trophy Tour, engaging with thousands of people across the globe, and hope to replicate that success when the Trophy Tour goes to Scotland, Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, Wales and England.”

World Rugby Chairman, Bernard Lapasset, said: “Rugby World Cup 2015 is a Tournament that will have the fans and teams at heart and we are excited about the unprecedented opportunity that the Trophy Tour and Fanzones will provide for fans to really engage with the Tournament no matter where they are.

“With six months to go until England 2015 kicks off, World Rugby is confident of a very special and record-breaking celebration of rugby that will inspire new fans and participants around the world.”

The Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour will launch on 100 days to go (June 10) and make its way to the Scottish border for a five-day journey through Scotland. From Scotland, the Trophy will travel to Belfast and spend five days in Northern Ireland and five days in the Republic of Ireland, finishing in Dublin and crossing the Irish Sea to Holyhead in Wales. Ten days in Wales will include visits to Host City Cardiff and the Millennium Stadium before the Trophy returns to England to countdown the final 75 days until Rugby World Cup 2015. The Rugby World Cup Trophy Tour schedule can be viewed here and full details on the locations and events will updated in the coming months.

Fans will have the opportunity to buy further match tickets over the coming months as up to one third of a million additional tickets are due to go on general sale. This will be a mixture of handbacks from the Rugby World Cup Limited commercial programme, extra seats from the venues and resale.

* England Rugby 2015 and Local Authorities are working to conclude planning, licensing and operational arrangements for Fanzones with full details to be announced when final details are confirmed.