When FU got the call from Birmingham Bulls to work on the Union Cup, the biggest LGBTQ+ rugby tournament in Europe, the team grabbed the chance by the horns and got their story in front of an audience reach of over 426 million.
The opportunity to be the driving force behind thousands of inclusive rugby players and fans descending on Birmingham? Help to boost inclusivity in rugby at a marquee event for all of Europe? Put our noggins together to help create a festival of sport the city will never forget? It's not one to be passed up.
And what a festival it was. For three glorious days of Union Cup action, Birmingham saw 46 LGBTQ+ rugby teams featuring 1400 players from 89 countries run, pass and smash headlong into each other in front tens of thousands of fans.
One Love
The Union Cup's theme for this year was a simple message that reflected the soul of inclusivity that drove the Union Cup and this year's hosts the Birmingham Bulls to get started in the first place.
It speaks to the one love of the LGBTQ+ community, but also to the one love rugby fans share for the sport - one that ignores differences and brings people together.
It was also a message that really resonated with the team and gave us the energy to really push forward the project. And that passion definitely rubbed off when we began reaching out to local media to tell them all about the incredible event lined up on their doorstep.
Try, converted
Using all the tricks we knew, coverage for the Cup really started to rumble forward. We wrote releases, spoke to countless journalists, set up umpteen meetings and found phenomenal interviewees for media with fascinating stories to tell. It all resulted in over 240 pieces of coverage reaching 4.5 million pairs of eyes or ears.
The Union Cup was featured on national ITV News, Radio 1, The Independent, BBC World Service, Attitude Magazine, Pink News, BBC Midlands Today, and even on Joe Lycett's Late Night Lycett chat show on Channel 4. Not to mention dozens of national a
nd regional publications and podcasts up and down the country, all whilst creating a powerful social buzz.
The Birmingham Bulls didn't manage victory this time, but the size and scale of the event was unprecedented and undoubtedly a huge win for inclusivity in Rugby. The work of the Bulls hasn't gone unnoticed in the Rugby community either, with club captain Andy Tsui winning the prestigious Rugby Writer's Lifetime Achievement Award.
It was a pleasure play a part in such a stellar event, and we are proud to have delivered successes for such a worthy cause. We can't wait for next time.