In support of the vision for more matches, opportunity, competition and growth, International Rugby League has a bold and dynamic new look to complement the organisation’s new name, announced earlier this week.
The most important element of the new brand is the prominent placement of the full name of the sport, which will contribute to greater recognition of rugby league as a sovereign, autonomous sport and enhance global visibility.
The role of International Rugby League is to transform and amplify the sport globally which is at the heart of the Global Conversion strategy, and the new brand will support that ambition.
Commenting on the new brand, IRL chief executive officer, Nigel Wood said:
“We have worked with our members and others inside and outside of rugby league to develop the new brand and we are happy that both the name change, and the new look have been well-received.”
“One of the main reasons behind these changes was to support the really important and ambitious digital strategy which we are rolling out from today. That is creating new on-line tools including an administrative portal, digital asset management platform and a consumer-facing website. These are the elements that will help our members to achieve their ambitions.”
The portal is designed to digitise and centralise administrative tasks and features a ground-breaking membership area. National federations will be able to seamlessly manage their relationship with the international federation. Delegates at congress will have the first opportunity to work with the new portal.
A digital asset management system will host the important historic and current imagery of games. This will allow simple and easy access to photographs and video footage for archival and marketing purposes.
Finally, by 2020 International Rugby League will have a new online destination for fans globally – IntRL.Sport. The state-of-the-art website will deliver up to the second information about international rugby league as well as highlight the incredible work being done to expand the sport globally. It will be as interactive and designed to keep fans as close to the action.
Sara Piper, who has led the brand and digital projects commented:
“International Rugby League’s brand and digital redevelopment mark an important turning point for international rugby league. The new brand is a strong visual representation of the sport’s collective forward movement while the digital platforms lay a solid foundation for best practice marketing and administration.
“We have worked alongside a series of world-class agencies who have collaborated to deliver this amazing but complex development.
“I’m excited to continue the digital roll out with members and executive, with phase one due for completion in early 2020. The reception so far is positive, and I am sure that as everyone gets used to working with the portal, we will see them all operating even more effectively for the ultimate benefit of the players and the fans.”
