Rugby clubs throughout Ireland are in line to raise over €1 million for the community game following the launch of the IRFU ‘Your Club, Your Country’ fundraising initiative in association with Community Rugby Partner, Ulster Bank.
‘Your Club, Your Country’ is a draw that was first launched last year and raised over €600,000 in total for participating clubs. Clubs taking part this season will be issued with 1,000 tickets valued at €10 each which means each can raise up to €10,000 for their club.
So far 117 clubs have signed up to the initiative.  All the value from the sale of the tickets remains within each club, providing a great boost to revenues while at the same time seeking to broaden the reach of those able to support the club through ticket prices being pitched at a manageable level for most.
The top prize in the draw is a trip to the British & Irish Lions tour of Australia in 2013 and there are a host of other prizes including trips to RBS Six Nations games and VIP packages at the Aviva Stadium as well as clothing from Eden Park and Elvery’s.
Pat Fitzgerald, Commercial and Marketing Chairman of the IRFU, said: “Last year’s draw was a huge success. The response was magnificent in reaching over €600,000 and the interest from the clubs this year has been even greater.
“The IRFU is committed to doing whatever it can to assist our clubs in what are difficult economic times and this draw is the perfect opportunity to do that.
The closing date for entries is 5pm on Friday, November 2, and the draw will take place on Friday, November 9, the day before Ireland take on South Africa in the opening game of the Guinness Series at the Aviva Stadium.
This is an innovative means of fundraising with the benefit likely to be greatest for the clubs willing to put the effort in within local communities but with a jackpot prize fund that is open to all and not dependent on reaching certain levels of sales across a range of clubs that would be outside of each committee’s control.
It is a template which could be replicated across many other sports as well.
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