Bringing the All Blacks to Your Backyard in More Ways Than One

BackingBlack, the All Blacks online fan club instigated and supported by Telecom, has taken another step forward becoming the official fanzone on the New Zealand Rugby Union’s award-winning www.allblacks.com website.

The move, announced today by New Zealand Rugby Union CEO, Steve Tew, creates another channel for All Blacks fans in New Zealand, and around the world, to connect with their favourite team in one of the biggest years ever for New Zealand rugby.

"We know that our All Blacks fans are keen on opportunities to learn more about the team and experience the All Blacks firsthand where they can. We are delighted that partners like Telecom, through BackingBlack, are helping us do just that,” says Tew.

“Telecom has the expertise, technology and resource to help us deliver a great fan experience, and the integration of BackingBlack as the official fanzone on allblacks.com brings all of our efforts together to unite support for New Zealand’s favourite team this year, and beyond,” he says.

As a result of this integration, fans can now enjoy a huge variety of All Blacks content via BackingBlack at www.allblacks.com.

Some highlights include Keven Mealamu driving a tank over a car after winning a tank driving contest against Conrad Smith and Piri Weepu, or Dan Carter, Brad Thorn and Jimmy Cowan cooking crays and enjoying a wild food experience on the Wairarapa Coast with some lucky fans.

Says Conrad Smith: “There is plenty of passion out there, and we know our fans are always keen for new and different experiences and ways to see the All Blacks up close. As players we’ve found BackingBlack to be a great way in which fans can catch up with the team and with each other. It’s cool being able to meet new people through the experiences that BackingBlack provides, and the support we get is humbling.”

Fans are also treated to a sneak peak into All Blacks life with behind-the-scenes footage at press conferences and training sessions.

Alan Gourdie CEO of Telecom Retail explains, "As an All Blacks sponsor we realised there was no fan movement or club dedicated solely to the All Blacks. There seemed to be a real gap between the desire of a huge amount of fans to connect with their team and a way for them to do so."

Telecom created BackingBlack and immediately saw a groundswell of support.

“Telecom's a Kiwi company full of All Blacks supporters, and connecting people is what we do, so starting BackingBlack, the All Blacks fan club, made sense. So many New Zealanders love the All Blacks, and we simply want to make it more enjoyable and fun to be a fan,” says Gourdie.

Rather than commit to corporate hospitality and branding, Telecom has focused its sponsorship on securing as much time with the All Blacks as possible, and then sharing that time through creating behind-the-scenes content and live experiences for fans.

Currently, BackingBlack has around 50,000 members across Facebook and the website, and there have been over 430,000 views of BackingBlack video content to date.

www.backingblack.co.nz

www.facebook.com/backingblack

Telecom is BackingBlack – keeping you and the All Blacks connected.

ENDS

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