Ulster Carpets are proud to continue their sponsorship of Ulster Youth & High Schools rugby into 2014 following massive growth in the first 15 months of the partnership.
Increasing the club rugby player base at youth level has been a major focus for Ulster Rugby and it is pleasing to see that there has been a 7.5% rise in registered youth players in the last 12 months.
A key focus within High Schools rugby has been to increase the opportunity for non-traditional rugby schools to participate in tournaments and competitions. As a result of Ulster Carpets’ Sponsorship, Ulster Rugby has been able to assist schools in establishing amore structured approach, with regional blitzes now held on a regular basisacross the province. The initiative has lead to over 120 additional games being played in the past year.
Ulster Rugby has placed an emphasis in recent years on improving the quality of players coming through the youth and high school streams. The benefits of this are evident with a number of players involved in Ulster Carpets competitions going on to represent Ulster. ChrisFarrell, Jonny Murphy and David McIlwaine have now joined more established former youth players such as Stephen Ferris in the senior Ulster Rugby Squad.
Ulster Carpets Managing Director, Nick Coburn, commented; “We are extremely proud to continue our sponsorship of Ulster Rugby in 2014 and are delighted at the success of the partnership todate.
“At Ulster Rugby the focus is on progression and improvement, and this fits well with Ulster Carpets’ culture of innovation and pursuit of excellence. Our hope is that this partnership will continue to support the local community by encouraging more young people to participate in active sport.”
Chris Webster, Domestic Rugby Manager at Ulster Rugby, commented:
“While many fans will be aware that the Ulster Rugby senior team has enjoyed significant success over the past couple of years, we are also making huge strides at grassroots level. The support of Ulster Carpets over the past couple of seasons has enabled us to apply more resources to growing the game in high schools and within club youth rugby.
“In order for the Province to become a major European force, it is imperative for us to have sustainable growth in our playing resources at alllevels. One of our goals is to continue to provide greater participation opportunities, as well as improve the quality of coaching that players are exposed to. The recent improvement in the standard of youth and high schools rugby is evident when you look at the number of current Ulster players who have played in Ulster Carpets competitions.”
IMAGE CAPTIONS
Ulster Carpets 1:
(L-R) Ulster Rugby stars David McIlwaine, Chris Farrell and Stephen Ferris are pictured at Ulster Carpets with the company’s Finance Director, David Acheson as they celebrate the success of the partnership to date
Ulster Carpets 2:
Ulster Rugby stars Chris Farrell, Stephen Ferris and David McIlwaine celebrate the success of the partnershipwith Ulster Carpets with the company’s Finance Director, David Acheson
