Member Article

Leeds confirms three team bases for Rugby World Cup 2015

The organising committee for the Rugby World Cup 2015 has announced that 3 team bases have been chosen in Leeds for the tournament, taking place in England and in Cardiff between September 18 and October 31 2015.

Leeds has been successful in a cross-city bid comprising of world class facilities at all three universities, the council’s flagship John Charles Centre for Sport and facilities at West Park Leeds Rugby Club.

Leeds offers team bases for Scotland, USA and Canada at Rugby World Cup 2015 consisting of facilities at Leeds University, Leeds Metropolitan University, Leeds Trinity University, West Park Leeds Rugby Club and John Charles Centre for Sport

There is a total list of 41 team bases that will host the 20 participating teams during the Tournament,

The search for team bases was launched via an open tender process in May 2013 and over 90 bids from across the country and in Wales were received.

Leeds has worked closely with England Rugby 2015 over the past 12 months to facilitate detailed site visits and liaison with the teams prior to confirmation of its status as an official team base for Rugby World Cup 2015.

With Scotland, USA and Canada based in Leeds, this gives the city the opportunity to be part of the world’s third largest sporting event and celebration of rugby next year.

England Rugby 2015 CEO, Debbie Jevans said: “As the organising committee for Rugby World Cup 2015 we are committed to ensuring that all participating teams have the optimum training environments available to them throughout the Tournament and in this regard we are delighted to announce our 41 official Team Bases for the event.

“Rugby, rightly, is at the heart of all our planning and we have worked closely with the teams to ensure that they have access to facilities and a Team Base that meet their individual needs.

“I would like to thank all those who have been part of the Team Base selection process and we are lucky to have some fantastic facilities right across the country.

“With a wide range of excellent facilities and locations secured the teams can be assured of having all their training needs met whilst allowing us to spread the reach of the Tournament even further throughout England and in Wales.”

Councillor Lucinda Yeadon, Leeds City Council executive board member with responsibility for digital and creative technologies, culture and skills said: “We are in a unique position in Leeds where all our three universities can offer world class sporting facilities for these teams, along with the excellent council and community facilities that will be on offer.

“Having the world’s third largest tournament in the city is fantastic and to complement that we can now say we have world class rugby players training at a number of our world class training sites across the city too.”

Chairman of West Park Leeds RUFC, Malcolm Kilvington, commented: “We hosted Italy before their first World Cup match in 1991 and, after a major upgrade to the grounds and clubhouse in 2008, the England senior squad have regularly used the club as a training base.

“We look forward to welcoming Canada in 2015 and it is a testament to the facilities that the members have developed at the club that the highest competition in the game is again coming to Bramhope.”

“The University boasts world-class sporting facilities so it is fantastic that Scotland’s team will have use of them ahead of the competition. They will be able to enjoy the best of the city, and the University, ahead of some bone-crunching action.”

USA manager Tristan Lewis said: “I can tell you why we have chosen the bases we have – simply put they offer the best opportunity for us to train well as well as give us the opportunity to be a part of English culture so that everyone has fond and lasting memories of England; it’s history and wealth of pageantry.

“The team will be based in four venues which is different to a lot of the teams who are choosing to stay in one place and do short match day weekends.

“So we are in Portsmouth for the match in Brighton, Leeds for Scotland, Hertfordshire for the match at the Olympic Stadium with South Africa and finally Gloucester for Japan.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Clare Burnett .