Manchester married football many years ago and the pair have enjoyed a long, prosperous and loving relationship.
However, the wicked egg-chasers in the Rugby world are giving the city the eyes and attempting to borrow her affections for a brief affair in 2015.
The Rugby World Cup – the ‘greatest show on earth’ – will arrive in two years and feature games at the Etihad stadium.
Tournament chief executive Debbie Jevans hopes that, as a result, the sport will grow in the city.
“In 2015 the Rugby World Cup will be the biggest show on earth,” said Jevans at the United City global sports summit this week.
“It was really important to go to the North.
“Rugby Union has not had the growth in this part of the world that we would like and that is why it is important that we are coming here.”
Jevans hopes that the arrival of world’s third most-watched sports event may have Mancunian sports fanatics cheering on Chris Robshaw rather than Wayne Rooney or hailing the excellence of Dan Carter rather than David Silva.
“We want to engage people but can’t do this on our own; we want to work with the clubs (who will host games) and the stakeholders,” she said.
“This will be the catalyst for more people playing Rugby.”
Jevans, who played a key role delivering a hugely successful London 2012 Olympic Games in her role as director of sports for LOCOG (London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games), is keen to make sure the Rugby World Cup is ‘more than a tournament’.
Speaking of the legacy of London 2012, Jevans highlighted the equestrian centre at Greenwich Park and the Copper Box Arena, which hosted handball and is now used as a multi-sport arena, as living proof of the games’ lasting impression on London.
This is something she is determined to replicate with the Rugby World Cup as preparation continues apace.
“We want to welcome the world to rugby and to England,” Jevans said.
“We want to make sure there is a legacy (and) above all I want 2015 to be the year of rugby.”
The chief executive went on to outline her five mantras of the tournament which were: spectator experience, connecting with the audience, ‘rugby at heart’, unforgettable experience and ‘more than a tournament’.
Eagle-eyed readers will have noticed that this handily forms the acronym SCRUM which perhaps explains the ambiguity behind such philosophies.
One of the biggest challenges facing Jevans will be ensuring venues are filled for the lower-profile fixtures however she intends to ‘leave no stone unturned’.
“Part of selling an event is about what you do before it,” Jevans added.
The pricing strategy for tickets will be unveiled on November 27, before around 2.4million tickets go on sale in 2014 and Jevans hopes it will be a sellout tournament.
“If we achieve a total sell out for the sport in 2015 that will be the most spectators ever for coming to a rugby world cup,” she said.
“Our country loves major events… in 2015 Rugby is the biggest show in town, I’m not complacent about that but I know that people will come out.”
Despite there being only seven previous Rugby World cup tournaments it is the third largest global sporting event with audiences of more than four billion and Jevans stressed the importance of delivering the highest standards.
“Our ambition is to be the best that we can be and hopefully others will judge us and say that this has been the best world cup,” she said.
“Rugby has unique values and that’s what attracted me to the sport.
“I’m confident that we can use the next two years to build the game and working with the RFU we can be the catalyst for more people playing.
“We’ll be gone in 2016 but it is the ambition to build that platform so that the RFU can continue to grow the sport.”
Image courtesy of Bill Boaden, with thanks
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