Royal Wolf is proud to announce it has extended its long-standing sponsorship of Two Blues Rugby Club in Western Sydney for a further three years. The funding will primarily go towards helping to grow and develop the club’s women’s program.
The club, which started back in 1879, has a proud history of producing players who have gone on to represent the Wallabies, Wallaroos and other Super Rugby teams.
Two Blues General Manager Christian Burden says the ongoing sponsorship from Royal Wolf has been crucial for the club.
“As a community organisation, we rely quite heavily on our sponsorship and our partnership support. I’d say 75 per cent of our operating budget each year is dependent on sponsorship support, whether that’s direct or indirect, so really it’s critical to us. Royal Wolf has been there for quite some time, so their contribution is massive,” Christian says.
Royal Wolf Managing Director Neil Littlewood says the company is delighted to continue its partnership with the Two Blues for another three years.
“Royal Wolf has been a proud supporter of the Two Blues for many years, and it’s been a pleasure watching the club grow and evolve over time,” Neil says.
“I am particularly excited to support the development of the women’s program through our latest sponsorship round, and I look forward to watching the team as they pursue their dreams and continue to go from strength to strength.”
Supporting women players
Royal Wolf’s current round of sponsorship will go towards supporting the Two Blues Women’s Rugby Program, particularly coach development and match fee payments for the players. It will also contribute to venue hire, the purchase of playing gear and equipment, uniforms and other operating costs.
“We’ll be the first club to offer a match fee payment for our female players, which will put us on par with what we do with the men’s program,” explains Christian.
“It means that we can actually reimburse players for their time and offset any other costs they may incur as a result of playing and committing to training throughout the year.”
Looking to the future
Of the 250 registered players at the club, about 40 are women. Players in the women’s program are aged 17 and above and play a number of different variations of the game – including sevens, tens and 15s, depending on what competitions are on at different times of the year. The main program, however, is focused on the 15s game.
Women’s rugby is one of the fastest growing sports in the country, and through its program, Two Blues hopes to continue supporting its female players to fulfil their dreams and reach Wallaroo and Super W levels of the sport.
“We’re a really strong and credible pathway for young girls in Western Sydney who want to play at that level. So anything we can do to strengthen that pathway and those programs and support players is what we’re all about,” Christian says.
“Without Royal Wolf’s support for the women’s program, we would not even be able to think about how we really grow it and strengthen it – so thank you, Royal Wolf.”
2023 Season
When the season kicks off on 22 April at Eric Tweedale Stadium in Merrylands with a match against Sydney University, the Two Blues will be proudly wearing the Royal Wolf logo on the front of their jerseys.
Neil says he is looking forward to cheering them on.
“I can’t wait to see the Royal Wolf logo out there on the field, making us proud. I wish the team and their coaches all the best for a successful and enjoyable 2023 season,” he says.
Royal Wolf has also supported other community sporting initiatives, including the Wiradjuri Warriors at the NSW Aboriginal Rugby League Knockout Carnival.