Stanley shot in arm to Australia rugby shows

Article posted by Coliseum, April 17^th, 2023

Image: World Rugby

Australia is hosting men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups in 2027 and 2029. It will be showcase events at the heart of a golden decade of rugby events in Australia.

‘WORLD RUGBY’ stated that in this regard, Chris Stanley has been appointed as the Managing Director of the 2027 Local Operating Company and hosting preparations are accelerating in partnership with Rugby Australia.

The 2027 Rugby World Cup is scheduled to be the 11^th edition of the Rugby World Cup, the quadrennial world championship for men’s rugby union teams. It is scheduled to take place in Australia in 2027.

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The 2029 Rugby World Cup is scheduled to be the 11^th edition of the Rugby World Cup for women. The tournament is to be held in Australia.

The Rugby World Cup is a men’s rugby union tournament contested every four years between the top international teams. The tournament is administered by World Rugby, the sport’s international governing body.

Dublin (Ireland)-based World Rugby is the world governing body for the sport of rugby union. World Rugby organizes the Rugby World Cup every four years, the sport’s most recognized and most profitable competition.

Sydney (Australia)-based Rugby Australia Limited, previously named the Australian Rugby Union Limited and Australian Rugby Football Union Limited, is an Australian company operating the premier rugby union competition in Australia and teams. It has its origins in 1949. It is a member of World Rugby. Rugby Australia has eight member unions, representing each State and the Australian Northern Territory and Australian Capital Territory.

‘WORLD RUGBY’ further stated that preparations for Australia’s Rugby World Cup hosting continue to advance with the appointment of Stanley as the Managing Director of the 2027 Local Operating Company (LOC). The announcement follows the first meeting of the LOC in Sydney recently.

Highly regarded in the major sports event business world, Stanley’s appointment follows the announcement of Sir Rod Eddington as the independent Chair of the Board of Directors for both the men’s event in 2027 and the women’s in 2029.

Stanley joins from MI Global Partners (Consultant in North Sydney, Australia), where as the head honcho he has developed a strong reputation as a leading expert in major sports event planning and delivery over the past 22 years, managing projects across a broad range of industries, including major sports events and the Rugby World Cup.

With preparations advancing at pace, Stanley will join the organizing company in July and initial priorities will include resourcing of the organizing company and furthering engagement with the State Governments and the Host Cities as the pivotal venue selection process progresses.

Stated Stanley, “Having worked across every Rugby World Cup since 2003 and building on my role as an Executive Director Planning and Integration for Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan, the prospect of being involved in delivering the most prestigious men’s and women’s rugby events in Australia to help grow the sport both domestically and around the world is very exciting. I look forward to collaborating with colleagues at World Rugby, Rugby Australia and the Australian Government to bring to life not just great sporting events, but outstanding events that will engage a nation, set new standards in sustainable impact and drive rugby forwards.”

A collaboration between World Rugby and Rugby Australia, the Rugby World Cup Australia local operating company is majority- owned by World Rugby’s events arm, which is responsible for the delivery of all men’s and women’s Rugby World Cups through to at least 2033 and designed to ignite global rugby interest, fan, participation growth, and value.

The Rugby World Cups will be the jewel in the crown of an exciting rugby calendar for fans in Australia over the next decade which features the British and Irish Lions tour in 2025 and rugby sevens at the 2026 Commonwealth Games and 2032 Olympic Games. The content presents a golden opportunity to supercharge rugby fandom, commercial value and participation across the sport-loving nation.

The British & Irish Lions is a rugby union team selected from players eligible for the national teams of England, Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.

Rugby sevens is a variant of rugby union in which teams are made up of seven players playing seven-minute halves, instead of the usual 15 players playing 40-minute halves. Rugby sevens is administered by World Rugby, the body responsible for rugby union worldwide.

The 2026 Commonwealth Games, officially known as the XXIII Commonwealth Games and commonly known as Victoria 2026, is a multisport event for members of the Commonwealth scheduled to take place across four regional sites in the Australian State of Victoria: Geelong, Bendigo, Ballarat, and Gippsland.

Maintained Michel Poussau, Rugby World Cup Director, “With a wealth of experience in major sports event planning and project delivery, Chris Stanley is perfectly placed to drive forward the establishment of the new Rugby World Cup Australia Local Operating Company under the World Rugby events arm. Chris has an intimate knowledge of both Rugby World Cup, having consulted on every tournament since 2003, and also the events organization environment in Australia, in which he is widely regarded as a leading expert. This experience, coupled with a passion for Rugby World Cup and major events in Australia, will help deliver what we believe will be transformative Rugby World Cups.”

Added Andy Marinos, Rugby Australia Chief Executive Officer, “Chris has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to the delivery of Rugby World Cups and major global events. It is why our team made the call to have him involved as part of our successful bids for 2027 and 2029 in a key advisory role. From our perspective, given his experience, and the skill set required under the new delivery model, Chris is an ideal candidate as Rugby World Cup 2027 Managing Director. Along with the appointment of Sir Rod Eddington as Chair, Chris brings great continuity and is well placed to build on the great foundation that has been established to deliver two incredible events that will be key moments in our golden decade of rugby.”

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