With 500 days to go until the opening fixture of the Rugby League World Cup 2021 (RLWC2021), tournament organisers have announced that Newcastle will act as the training base for Scotland’s men’s team.
Newcastle, known for its passionate fanbase, is the perfect place to host the tournament opening ceremony and England men’s opening fixture at St James’ Park, as well as three group fixtures at Kingston Park. Now the sport loving Geordies will be welcoming the men’s team from just north of the border as Scotland men’s team look ahead to the tournament in 2021.
The squads from the 21 unique nations and 32 teams will be based in different locations. The full list of host towns and cities, and the corresponding nations is as follows:
- Bolton – France (Men’s)
- Doncaster – Samoa (Men’s)
- Hull – Fiji (Men’s)
- Leeds – Jamaica, Ireland (Men’s) | England, Papua New Guinea, Brazil, Canada (Women’s)
- Liverpool and St Helens – Tonga, Italy (Men’s teams)
- London – England, Australia, Norway, Spain (Wheelchair)
- Manchester – England, Australia (Men’s)
- Newcastle – Scotland (Men’s)
- Preston – Wales (Men’s)
- Sheffield – Greece (Men’s) | France, Wales, Scotland, USA (Wheelchair)
- Tees Valley – Cook Islands (Men’s)
- Warrington – Papua New Guinea (Men’s)
- Wigan/Leigh – Lebanon (Men’s)
- York – New Zealand (Men’s) | Australia, New Zealand, France, Cook Islands (Women’s)
All the host cities and towns, including those who won’t be a dedicated team base (Coventry and Kirklees), will form a huge part of making the tournament a success, welcoming players from around the world and adopting them as their own, as they get behind them and cheer them on in 500 days’ time. Following this announcement, the fixtures for all three tournaments will be announced in the coming months.
RLWC2021 has today also revealed new branding for the tournament, celebrating the power of together, focusing on human interest stories and emotional connections, with the goal of connecting with a universal audience.
The new branding will also include bespoke elements from each host, drawing on recognisable icons and displaying the sense of civic pride each host has for its town or city. RLWC2021 will be asking people from each town and city to vote on the icons that make up their custom patterns in the coming months and will be doing something similar for the nations towards the end of the year.
Jon Dutton, RLWC2021 Chief Executive, said: “Today marks another hugely exciting milestone on the road to Rugby League World Cup 2021 as we celebrate 500 days until the opening fixture at St James’ Park in October next year.
“Newcastle is an incredible city, with one of the most renowned fanbases in the world, and those fans are set to play a huge role in RLWC2021. There was no better place for Scotland’s men’s side, and their loyal fans, than Newcastle.
“Our refreshed tournament identity and today’s nation base announcement can serve as an exciting reminder for the people of Newcastle of what’s to come in 2021 as we continue to build momentum towards what promises to be the biggest and best Rugby League World Cup in history.”
Councillor Ged Bell, cabinet member for Employment and Culture commented: “I am thrilled that not only will Newcastle host the opening fixtures of the Rugby League World Cup but we will also be the base for the Scotland men’s team.
“The coronavirus crisis has unfortunately led to many major events being cancelled, however we are already building our city’s recovery and looking forward to a packed programme of events next year including the opening game and launch of the Rugby League World cup in October 2021.
“Once again the eyes of the world will be on Newcastle as our reputation as a city that can host spectacular events continues to grow, we know how to put on a show and the Rugby League World Cup will be vibrant, colourful and thrilling.
“Newcastle is famous for its warm Geordie welcome and I am sure the Scotland team will feel the full support of the city as they embark on their tournament from their base on Tyneside.
“The Rugby League World Cup will showcase Newcastle at its best, putting on a show in our vibrant city centre surrounded by people with an unrivalled passion for sport.”
Sarah Green, Chief Executive of NewcastleGateshead Initiative, said: “With the majority of events set to be postponed or cancelled this year, the Rugby League World Cup is something to look forward to in 2021. Holding major events provides great days out for local residents, reinforces the vibrancy of our region to visitors and in the media, and delivers long-term benefits for local businesses – last year’s European Professional Club Rugby Finals brought in nearly £25m to the region’s economy and in 2018, Rugby League’s Magic Weekend saw 65,000 fans bring in a direct impact of nearly £8m.
“The region has a growing reputation for hosting world-class sporting events and we’re really excited to not only host four group games but the opening ceremony and the first England fixture. The North East is renowned for delivering an amazing fan experience and we’re looking forward to welcoming supporters from around the world, and especially our friends from north of the border who will be based here.”
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