Rugby, one of the fastest growing sports in India, has received a tremendous boost with French financial services major Societe Generale announcing its long term partnership with Rugby India to promote the game in the country. Societe Generale comes on board as the ‘Financial Partner of Rugby India’ and ‘Title Sponsor of the Indian National Rugby Sevens Team’ across all categories — Senior, Junior and Women.
This announcement was made by Evelyne Collin, Chief Executive and Country Officer, Societe Generale India, at the launch event at the Bombay Gymkhana, one of the homes to Indian rugby, on Thursday. Also present at the function was Mahesh Mathai, Secretary General, Rugby India; Aga Hussain – Senior Vice President, Rugby India and Vice President, Asia Rugby, besides Rahul Bose, rugby player and actor.
Societe Generale has also extended financial support to World Rugby’s ‘Get Into Rugby’ (GIR) programme, an initiative for Rugby India to teach rugby at schools and motivate children to get into the sport. Kick-started in India in July 2013, the GIR programme has reached over 30,000 participants (42 per cent of whom are women) by March 2016.
Addressing media persons, Collin said “Societe Generale has been sponsoring rugby for over 30 years since the 1987 World Cup in France. Our association with Rugby India is our corporate responsibility. Societe Generale and Rugby share a common vision to train, develop and groom the potential sports talent from the grassroots in the country, especially at locations where resources are limited”.
“Through the ‘Get Into Rugby’ programme, we will reach out to students and help build a talented pool of sportspersons for international events like the Olympics. We are committed to making Rugby accessible to everyone and we hope that together with Rugby India we can help build strong national teams. We have to motivate children in schools, districts and states as well to take up the sport as it would also help inculcate rugby’s core values of Team Spirit, Respect, Discipline,” she added
Aga Hussain, mentioned that with such support and financial baking Indian rugby is set to grow bigger. “It is extremely encouraging to see the growth of rugby in India. Partnership with international brands like Societe Generale and PUMA will serve as a platform for the sport to reach out to the countries large diverse population. If the sport is backed this way, I am confident that India which is currently ranked 12th out of 32 countries in Asia, would soon break into the top five in the continent within the next five years and break into the top 50 in the world,” he said.
Rugby Seven’s inclusion in this year’s Olympics has increased its popularity all over the world. In partnership with Rugby India, Societe Generale will help nurture talent and fuel interest for Rugby in the country from the grassroots, improving the overall playing standard and competitiveness of the sport. This partnership is part of the “Citizenship Programme” developed by Societe Generale, aiming to support underprivileged communities through education and sports in all countries where it operates.
Rahul Bose, actor, philanthropist and an avid Rugby player in the Indian National Rugby Team said “I am thrilled that Societe Generale, an organization with such a rich global rugby lineage has come on board to support Rugby in India. This is also the first time, that a corporate is investing in the Get Into Rugby program which will look at harnessing talent from the grassroots. With the inclusion of Rugby in Olympics, the association with Societe Generale has come at right time to give the sport a much needed boost to take it to the next level in India.”
On the partnership with Societe Generale, Rugby India General Manager Nasser Hussain said, “We wish to thank Societe Generale for their generous support of coming onboard as the Title and Financial Sponsor of the Indian National Rugby teams and also for supporting the ‘Get into Rugby’ programme, which is a global initiative to spread awareness of the sport and increase participation in India. I am confident that the shared core values of Societe Generale and Indian Rugby will ensure that this partnership thrives and is beneficial to 1,00,000 students by 2018 across 21 states.”
Societe Generale and Rugby India will jointly oversee the organization and promotion of Rugby in the following senior, junior and women’s categories:
• National-level tournaments (Rugby Sevens, Under-19, 17, 14)
• Get Into Rugby (grassroots-level children)
• Training and education workshops (physical trainers and sports teachers)
• School games – national and state orientation programme