Winter Sports - Rugby Union
Villa Park will be one of the venues for two Rugby World Cup matches later this year. Laurence Gale MSc caught up with the club’s Head Groundsman, Paul Mytton, to discuss how the club has planned for these games during the football season
Rugby World Cup Paul Mytton T
Villa tell the hole story
he Rugby World Cup, which starts on September 18th, is hoping to repeat the success of the London 2012 Olympics and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow
last year by engaging with sports fan base. Like those other global events, rugby’s premier international competition offers opportunities for businesses to benefit from initiatives that encourage fans to engage with sport. Mobile telecom group O2, sponsor of the England rugby union team, is estimating that up to 20 million fans will be drawn to the World Cup; double Britain’s regular rugby union fan base. With twenty countries taking part and
forty-eight games scheduled for the whole tournament, it should certainly be an entertaining and vibrant World Cup.
90 I PC AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2015
To ensure a wide spread of rugby fans get the opportunity to experience the World Cup, a number of football stadiums up and down the country have been chosen to host pool games. These include St James’ Park (Newcastle United), Elland Road (Leeds United), Leicester City, Aston Villa, Brighton’s Amex Community Stadium, the Manchester City Stadium, MK Dons Stadium and Wembley. Villa Park has a capacity of 42,785 and was originally built in a Victorian amusement park on the site of a Jacobean stately home; the distinctive brick facade of the Holte End is unmistakable, setting it apart from generic grounds. A number of major events, including athletics, cycling, boxing and rugby league have all taken place there over the years, and two rugby union touring sides
have also run out onto its famous pitch. Back in 1924, a North Midlands select side were thumped 40-3 by New Zealand and, in 1953, a Midlands County XV were also dismantled, this time 18-3, by a Kiwi outfit including legendary All Blacks Bob Stuart, Richard White and Peter Jones. Aston Villa will be hosting two Pool
matches; the first on Saturday 26th September when South Africa play Samoa at 5.00pm and the second the following day (Sunday 27th September) when Australia play Uruguay at midday. I caught up with Paul Mytton, Aston Villa’s
Grounds Manager, to find out how hosting two Rugby World Cup matches will affect his domestic football season. Paul has been with the club since 2007 when he was appointed assistant Head
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