The company will be the official Technology Partner for the tournament as it stages the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions together, within a singular event, for the first time.
Vodafone has announced it will be the official Technology Partner for the Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021). The tournament, which was postponed due to the pandemic, is set to take place in England later in 2022 and will be the first time the RLWC encompasses the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions, within a singular event, across 61 games and 21 venues.
As one of the largest sporting events taking place in England this year, the Rugby League World Cup 2021 will kick off at St James’ Park, Newcastle on 15 October 2022 with the England men’s team taking on Samoa. The tournament will culminate at Old Trafford, Manchester on 19 November 2022 with the men’s and women’s double-header final, following the wheelchair final on Friday 18 November.
Jon Dutton, Chief Executive, RLWC2021 said: “We are pleased to welcome Vodafone Business on board as our official Technology Partner as we look to create innovative and exciting ways for fans to engage with the sport of rugby league.
“With tickets selling fast and excitement building, the countdown is on for our tournament to make a real impact across local communities in this country and we are delighted to have the support of Vodafone to help us deliver the biggest, best and most inclusive Rugby League.”
Nick Gliddon, Business Director, Vodafone said: “Our new partnership with the Rugby League World Cup is hugely exciting, and an important part of our ongoing support for sport in the UK. The Rugby League World Cup is a champion for diversity and inclusion, and we share those values and beliefs at Vodafone – we’re here to help bring to life the ‘Power of Together’ with this brilliant new partnership.”
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This new partnership with the RLWC2021 further expands Vodafone’s commitment to support sport in the UK, post-lockdown. The partnership builds on Vodafone’s new multi-year partnership with Wimbledon and the AELTC as Official Connectivity Partner, its role as Lead Partner for the British and Irish Lions 2021 Tour of South Africa, Lead Partner of Wasps Rugby and Netball, and Rugby Union Player Associations the Rugby Players Association (RPA), Rugby Players Scotland (RPS) and The Welsh Rugby Players Association (WRPA).
Find out more about the Rugby League World Cup 2021.
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About Rugby League World Cup 2021
The Rugby League World Cup is the pinnacle major event of rugby league, globally contested every four years. RLWC2021 will be a breakthrough moment in the tournament’s history with the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions being staged together for the first time.
The three tournaments will take place across 21 venues throughout England. Both the women’s and wheelchair competitions will be contested by two groups of four teams, while the men’s tournament will see 16 teams compete across four groups.
RLWC2021 will be the most visible rugby league event in history with all 61 games in the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions being broadcast live on the BBC.
Vodafone UK is a technology communications company that connects people, businesses and devices to help our customers benefit from digital innovation. Our services span mobile, fixed-line connections, home and office broadband, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
We have a strong track record as a tech pioneer, making the UK’s first mobile phone call, sending the first text message, and making the UK’s first live holographic call using 5G in 2018. We were the first to start carrying live 5G traffic from a site in Salford, Greater Manchester and now have 5G in locations across Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain as well as the UK. Meanwhile, our 4G network coverage currently reaches over 99% of the UK population.
Today, Vodafone serves more than 18 million mobile and fixed-line customers in the UK. Vodafone is the largest provider of full fibre in the UK – our superfast broadband services are now available to nearly 12 million homes across the UK.
Sustainability is also at the heart of what we do: as of 1 July 2021, 100% of the grid electricity we use in the UK is certified to be from renewable sources.
For more information about Vodafone UK, please visit: www.vodafone.co.uk.
