Proud to be Lead Partner of The British & Irish Lions™

#UnitethePride

Supporting grassroots rugby with technology solutions

As part of our partnership with The British & Irish Lions, we’re bringing 'Vodafone's Lions Legacy Tour' to four local rugby clubs across the UK - check out some highlights

The tour aims to raise awareness of the positive impact grassroots rugby has on the local community, and with the support of The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, we’re helping the clubs raise much-needed funds following the many challenges presented during the pandemic.

We will be providing technology solutions, including video camera equipment and MacBooks to support training and match day analysis. Canterbury will also be providing team wear to the clubs.

To support grassroots rugby further, we’re developing a resource for all community clubs available through V-Hub, a platform to help small businesses develop their digital capabilities. This toolkit will offer clubs essential tips and guidance to develop expertise in digital marketing, social media, and developing long-term commercial success.

Take a look back at the Tour

8,000 Mile Auto5Graph: World’s first 5G autograph signing

Rugby super fans Rocco Lock, Mark Probert, Mel Dee and Graham Bartlett all met their Lions heroes and shared personal words of encouragement, before the 5G powered robot, being controlled by the Lions players in South Africa, wrote a personal message and signature directly onto their jersey in the world’s first 5G shirt signing.

Using a precision robot, motion control technology and Vodafone’s low latency 5G network, the Lions players signed jerseys live for fans in the UK, from over 8,000 miles away. As the player's stylus made contact with the tablet in South Africa, a robot arm stationed in London mirrored the player’s hand movements, allowing them to write directly onto the fan’s jersey in real time, while chatting on a video call.

Vodafone PLAYER.Connect, the revolutionary new performance dashboard

Vodafone announced the launch of PLAYER.Connect, a first-of-its-kind performance dashboard which was used by The British & Irish Lions throughout the 2021 Castle Lager Lions Series South Africa.

Using cutting-edge Vodafone IoT technology, PLAYER.Connect made player data easy to view and analyse, allowing coaches to make fully informed performance decisions and improving player welfare on and off the pitch.

Relive the Lions' best moments from the 2021 Tour

The Tour's over - but you can still get a taste of all the action as it unfolded. Check out The British & Irish Lions YouTube playlist to relive the Tour's highlights and best moments, as well as exclusive interviews with the players. 

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