Heineken raises it's glass to grass roots rugby

The Heineken 10s, which will kick off this autumn as the perfect prelude to another exciting season of European competition, is the first ever national club 10s tournament in England, with 16 different clubs nationwide hosting matches for over 3500 amateur players.

As part of the tournament, Heineken will also be investing further in grass roots rugby via a special Heineken legacy fund which will enable clubs to make improvements to their club houses.

England Rugby World Cup winner Will Greenwood, who will act as ambassador for the tournament, said: "The Heineken 10s represents a lot of what rugby is all about to me. It promises to be a fun, social and enjoyable day of rugby with your mates. And all the host rugby clubs will benefit by receiving a legacy donation from Heineken.

"I have always enjoyed 10s as a format - you don't have to be as fit as for 7s but you get a bit more ball time and space than XVs."
The Heineken 10s will be played under the rules of the Rugby Football Union, and the 16 host clubs will be announced in the coming weeks. Players will be able to participate in the tournament for free, with a variety of Heineken Cup prizes up for grabs. Heineken have also donated a significant sum of money as part of a legacy fund, with the 16 victorious teams becoming eligible for a donation to improve club facilities. A Heineken panel, chaired by Heineken 10s ambassador Will Greenwood, will be the adjudicators as to which teams will receive the donations.

Speaking on the announcement, Jon Lane, Sponsorship Manager of Heineken UK said: "Heineken has a long standing and proud association with rugby and we are delighted to introduce a brand new, social rugby tournament this autumn. There will be 16 one day festivals hosted by different rugby clubs across the country throughout August, September and October, providing a wonderful opportunity for players up and down the country to partake in some high quality 10s and get in the mood for what promises to be another wonderful season of Heineken Cup rugby.

"We're extremely pleased that, as part of the festivals, we are able to provide each of the 16 host rugby clubs with a grant for their club house facilities, as well as to donate a legacy fund for which the 16 victorious teams will become eligible. These are two initiatives that we hope, in time, will help to improve facilities throughout local rugby clubs across the country."

"At Heineken we are committed to offering fans premium rugby experiences and the Heineken 10s will offer thousands of club rugby players a high quality, enjoyable social rugby experience."