The Bath Charity 7’s is a 1-day rugby 7’s festival that is organised each year to raise money and awareness for a chosen charity. The Bath Rugby Community Foundation has benefited from the event in the past, and the Help for Heroes charity will benefit in 2009. Since its inception in 2007 the tournament has grown from 20 men’s teams playing over 2 pitches, to 64 teams competing in 4 competitions over 8 pitches, making it the UK’s biggest 1-day 7’s rugby festival.
For 2009 the event has been invited to join the newly formed UK 7’s Circuit, along with 7’s festivals in Newquay, Manchester, Harpenden, Bournemouth and The Church in London. The circuit has been created by Ultimate Rugby 7’s (www.ur7s.com) and is fully supported by the RFU and the IRB. The circuit sponsorship deal ensures that each festival will be filmed and receive 15 minutes of airtime on Sky Sports, as well as receiving national and international marketing and advertising.
2009 FORMAT
The Bath Charity 7’s will be held at the University of Bath on Saturday 27th June 2009. It will be played over 8 pitches, and for the first time it has been decided to run 4 separate competitions at the event, enabling teams of similar standards to compete against each other. In total there will be 64 teams, with the following 4 competitions each consisting of 16 teams:
Men’s Invitation Competition
Men’s Open Competition
Ladies Open Competition
Men’s Social Competition
A total of 768 players alone will participate at the event. The fact that we have been able to attract a number of high-profile teams and players to participate at the event will increase the number of spectators, and with the added bonus of being part of the UK 7’s circuit we will benefit from an increased level of advertising and marketing. We fully expect there to be in excess of 3,000 people at the event, with many more seeing the action in the highlights package on Sky Sports.
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
The Invitation Cup has a number of high profile 7’s teams already confirmed, with the British Army, Royal Navy, Samurai International and Seru Rabeni’s Kaiviti Krusaders from Fiji competing alongside a number of other invitational teams containing many international and professional players. Premiership clubs Bath Rugby and Bristol Rugby have been invited to participate, as have Super League club Celtic Crusaders Rugby League, and the Sweden International 7’s team have shown interest. We are hopeful that these teams will be able to confirm their entrance closer to the event. The Invitation competition has a total prize fund of £5,000.
The men’s and ladies open competitions will consist of club and university sides, along with newly formed specialist 7’s teams, and will no doubt have a number of professional and semi-professional players, as well as some junior Internationals. Both the Men’s and Ladies Open competitions have prize funds of £750 to play for.
The Men’s Social competition is already an international affair. The first team to enter the competition this year is ‘Mucche Pazze Crazy Cows’, who are visiting Bath from Milan in Italy. This is a first for the Bath Charity 7’s and shows the good reputation that the tournament has built in such a short space of time. We expect this competition to be very competitive, both on the pitch and at the bar!
TRADE VILLAGE
In 2009 the Bath Charity 7’s will feature a ‘Trade Village’ for the first time. This provides a unique opportunity for businesses to promote their brand and showcase their products to the crowds. We see this as an ideal opportunity for drinks brands, sportswear retailers, rugby and fitness specific companies, computer and games entertainment businesses, and local businesses with an interest in the event to have direct access to many people within their target audience.
SPONSORSHIP
Our target amount of money to raise through this event for the Help for Heroes charity is £10,000. To achieve this goal we require the support of a number of local, national and international businesses to sponsor the Bath Charity 7’s, and the various competitions and pitches within the event. Listed on the following pages are details of the sponsorship packages available. It would be great to hear from you about the opportunities on offer.
GOLD Sponsor
Has naming rights on the event, for example, ‘(Company Name) Bath Charity 7’s’ or Bath Charity 7’s sponsored by (Company Name)
Sponsorship of the Men’s Invitation Cup, which includes a number of high-profile teams with professional players from all over the world
Sponsorship of the event’s Main Pitch, which will have games all day and will host all 4 competition finals, and will all be filmed for Sky Sports
Opportunity to have a ‘Pitch Branding’ package, which includes 4 x Post Protectors, 14 x ‘Fly without Wind’ Flags, 4 x Corner Poles, 4 x Pitch-side Banners and 4 x Pitch-side Flags, all with your logo
Opportunity to have branding on the other 7 pitches at the event
Sponsorship of the 25 referees, meaning that they will wear kit branded with your logo on all day, on all 8 pitches
The Gold sponsor will also become a ‘Partner’ of the UK 7’s circuit, having your logo displayed on the circuits’ national advertising
Has naming rights on the event ‘Trade Village’, for example, the ‘(Company Name) Village’
Within the village area you will have space to set up your own promotion/merchandise stall and/or bar where you can sell your products for your own gain
3 pages of prime advertising space in the event programme (this will be an A4 sized, 60-page, full colour brochure that will be distributed at the event and at local locations in the lead-up to the event)
Company logo and links to company website on the soon-to-be lauched ‘Bath Charity 7’s’ website, and also on the event group page on Facebook
GOLD Sponsor representatives to present the Men’s Invitation Cup winners and runners-up trophies after the final
A 1-night stay for 4 people at a leading Bath-based hotel on Saturday 27th June 2009
Coverage in local press and media in the lead-up to the event, as well as after the event through reports and photographs
SILVER Sponsors
Sponsorship of the Men’s Open Cup, Ladies Open Cup or Men’s Social Cup, including a number of teams from across the UK and Europe
Sponsorship of one pitch, which will have games from your sponsored cup competition all day
Opportunity to have a ‘Pitch Branding’ package, which includes 4 x Post Protectors, 14 x ‘Fly without Wind’ Flags, 4 x Corner Poles, 4 x Pitch-side Banners and 4 x Pitch-side Flags, all with your logo
Opportunity to have branding on the other 7 pitches at the event, including the main pitch which will be featured on Sky Sports
- Within the ‘Trade Village’ area you will have space to set up your own promotion/merchandise stall where you can sell your products for your own gain
The Silver sponsor will benefit from having your company logo displayed in the circuits’ national advertising when focusing on the Bath Charity 7’s
2 pages of advertising space in the event programme
Company logo and links to company website on the soon-to-be lauched ‘Bath Charity 7’s’ website, and also on the event group page on Facebook
SILVER Sponsor representatives to present the Cup winners and runners-up trophies after the final for your sponsored competition
A 1-night stay for 2 people at a leading Bath-based hotel on Saturday 27th June 2009
Coverage in local press and media in the lead-up to the event, as well as after the event through reports and photographs
BRONZE Sponsors
Sponsorship of the Men’s Invitation Plate, Men’s Open Plate, Ladies Open Plate or Men’s Social Plate, including a number of teams from across the UK and Europe
Sponsorship of one pitch, which will have games from your sponsored competition all day
Opportunity to have a ‘Pitch Branding’ package, which includes 4 x Post Protectors, 14 x ‘Fly without Wind’ Flags, 4 x Corner Poles, 4 x Pitch-side Banners and 4 x Pitch-side Flags, all with your logo
Opportunity to have branding on the other 7 pitches at the event, including the main pitch which will be featured on Sky Sports
Within the ‘Trade Village’ area you will have space to set up your own promotion/merchandise stall where you can sell your products for your own gain
1 and a half pages of advertising space in the event programme, (which will be an A4 sized, 60-page, full colour brochure that will be distributed at the event and at local locations in the run-up to the event)
Company logo and links to company website on the soon-to-be lauched ‘Bath Charity 7’s’ website, and also on the event group page on Facebook
BRONZE Sponsor representatives to present the Plate winners and runners-up trophies after the final for your sponsored competition
Coverage in local press and media in the lead-up to the event, as well as after the event through reports and photographs
ASSOCIATE Sponsors
Merchandise/Promotion Stall in Trade Village
Programme Advertising in various sizes
Pitch-side Advertising Banners and Flags
SPONSORSHIP COSTS & AVAILABILITY (inclusive of VAT)
Gold Sponsor – 1 available
Cost = £6,000
Silver Sponsor – 3 available
Cost = £4,000
Bronze Sponsor – 4 available
Cost = £2,000
Associate Sponsor
Trade Stall - £250 (entitled to half price programme advert)
- Programme Advertising
Full Page - £250
2/3 Page - £180
½ Page - £150
1/3 Page - £110
¼ Page - £85
1/6 Page - £60
1/8 Page - £50
Pitchside Advertising
Main Pitch Banner (5m x 1m maximum)
Touchline - £150
Behind Try-line - £100
Banner on other pitches - £50
(Production costs for advertising materials, like pitch branding, banners and programme advert designs, is not included in the sponsorship costs)
Please contact John Gould, Tournament Director, to discuss the sponsorship packages in more detail.
Tel: 07841 022 357, Email: bathcharity7s@hotmail.co.uk
