COMMUNITY
He aha te mea nui o tea o?
He tāngata, he tāngata, he tāngata.
What is the most important thing in the world?
It is the people, the people, the people.
We understand the importance of our people. Our game would not be possible without them. The volunteers who keep our clubs and schools running, the coaches developing the next generation of players, the fans who support and motivate us, our families who raised us, the provinces we proudly represent, each with their own proud stories, heroes, and histories.
To acknowledge this importance we will continue to grow our roots deep into our community. To help inspire the next generation of players through authentic engagement, introduce and educate the uninitiated about our beautiful game, and to earn and uphold the support of our community.
BLUES IN THE COMMUNITY
WAHU LITTLE BLUES
‘Wahu Little Blues’ provides an opportunity for junior rugby teams to run out and play on the same ground as their heroes for a 20-minute game of ‘Rippa Rugby’. The games take place ahead of the Super Rugby teams taking the field for warm-ups and are undoubtedly an experience of a lifetime for our youngest Blues fans. We know just how important our junior rugby fans are in keeping the game we love alive and well. ‘Wahu Little Blues’ helps build a strong connection with our juniors and gives them something to aspire to in their future rugby careers!
During the past season we had over 600 kids take the field at both Whangārei’s Semenoff Stadium and Auckland’s Eden Park prior to Blues home games. There were memories created with runaway tries, smiles and waves to family that the kids will remember for a lifetime. In total, 40 teams were represented from across our region’s three provincial unions -Auckland, North Harbour and Northland.
STAMP THEM BLUE
‘Stamp them Blue’ is a special programme for high school students from within the Blues region. Students come to Blues HQ on a training day for an interactive session that includes:
- An introduction to the Blues (our history, our identity and our aspirations for the future).
- An insight into high-performance sport through a presentation from Blues staff and a tour of Blues HQ.
- Watching a team field training session and tickets to an upcoming game.
Students come away from a ‘Stamp them Blue’ session gaining a fresh perspective on the life of a professional rugby player as well as an insight into the day-to-day running of a Super Rugby club.
Throughout 2024, we hosted 10 high school groups for ‘Stamp them Blue’ sessions. If your school wishes to take part in 2025 please email Blues Community Manager, Harry Sanders - harrison.sanders@blues.rugby
CLUB VISITS
Connecting with club rugby players from around our region reminds us why we play the game! Over the month of May we visited eight junior clubs in the North Harbour region, taking along our Blues passing cage and some giveaways for the kids. We also shared a special ticket offer with our clubs for our remaining games at Eden Park.
REF A CLUB
Over the month of May several Blues players got out to rugby clubs in Auckland to referee ‘Rippa Rugby’. Kids were gifted Blues merchandise packs and we also shared our special ticket offer for our remaining games at Eden Park.
BEST FOOT FORWARD
At the Blues we believe rugby is a game for everyone and ‘Best Foot Forward’ helps provide kids with rugby boots so they don’t miss out.
This year, the ‘Best Foot Forward’ programme supported BOOT IT, an existing charity giving boots to children within the Blues Rugby community. This responsive campaign collected just over 500 pairs of boots for those in need and most importantly got youngsters out on the rugby field enjoying the game we love.
FLOOD RELIEF ‘23
It was a pleasure to help our community when they needed it most as Auckland’s floods hit in early February 2023.
With many houses across the city uninhabitable and infrastructure damaged, the Blues men and women made an effort to visit those affected by the floods and lend a hand by either cleaning up or organising care packages of life’s essentials for those who needed it.
We also ran a social campaign calling for items that were in desperate need such as blankets, towels, sheets and pillows – it was heart-warming to see the response of so many willing to give in a time of need.
Thank you to all the players, staff and members of the public who helped us play our small part in the flood clean-up effort.
SANTA PARADE DEC ‘22
Players from both our men’s and women’s Blues teams were in the festive spirit in the lead up to Christmas, joining the Farmers Santa Parade on Auckland’s Queen Street. We joined forces on the Barfoot & Thompson float, with our players loving the chance to blow a few bubbles, wave Blues flags and connect with our community. Check out the photos from the event…
FILL THE BLUES BUS
At the Blues, we believe every child deserves a present at Christmas, so in recent years we’ve partnered with The Salvation Army to ‘Fill The Blues Bus’.
Three buses travel around Northland, North Harbour and Auckland collecting gifts donated by our Blues whanau. In previous editions of our ‘Fill The Bus’ campaign we’ve collected over 30,000 gifts that were then passed on to those in need. On top of that, we received donations in excess of $20,000 for ‘Back to School Packs’. These packs meant kids across the Blues region went to school with everything they needed to succeed in the classroom. A special mention to all our sponsors who showed incredible generosity with their time, gifts and support to ‘Fill The Blues Bus’.
BEST FOOT FORWARD FOR TONGA
In early 2022, Tonga was hit by a devastating volcanic eruption and tsunami. The Blues community decided to dedicate the ‘Best Foot Forward’ Campaign for season 2022 to theTongan people.
Blues players Karl Tu’inukuafe, Ofa Tu’ungafasi, Maiakawanakaulani Roos & James Lay were central figures in our Blues ‘Best Foot Forward - For Tonga’ campaign giving up their time to ensure 20,000 pairs of shoes were delivered to the island nation.