Penrith Panthers vs NZ Warriors

AMI Stadium, Christchurch,May 14

For immediate release

May 9, 2016

Penrith Panthers set to arrive for community Carnival of Rugby League

The Penrith Panthers are set to arrive in Christchurch and unleash a week-long Carnival of Rugby League in the local community.

The Panthers will arrive from Sydney late Tuesday night and conduct a large number for community, school and junior rugby league engagements before turning their focus on the New Zealand Warriors for their clash at AMI Stadiumon Saturday.

The Panthers have moved their home games against the Warriors to Christchurch for the next two years to create a long-term relationship with the city and its sports fans.

“We want to build a New Zealand fan base in Christchurch and help to grow the game of rugby league in Canterbury,” said general manager Phil Gould recently, adding that the team has an option to extend the arrangement for another two years.

“Looking around the NRL teams over the years, it is obvious how much talent this region produces and we hope that one day many of them will line up in Penrith colours.”

Penrith will be hosted by Christchurch Boys High School for their first training session on Wednesday morning.

On Wednesday afternoon, Penrith will visit the home of the other Panthers, at Leslie Park in Hornby, for a junior rugby league clinic with players from clubs around the region.

On Thursday morning, the Panthers squad will split up to visit 12 schools around the city to deliver the NRL educational well-being programme One Community, which focuses on sport, health and nutrition.

That same night, representatives of the Panthers and the Warriors will take part in a Sportsman’s Gala dinner at Addington Raceway where they will be joined by a who-is-who of Canterbury sport.

Match organiser Justin Wallace said that the involvement of both teams in the community has taken this NRL fixture to a new level.

“They will be interacting with thousands of kids around the region and hopefully inspire to get involved in rugby league themselves.”

Mr Wallace said that it was wonderful to see how the local business community had embraced this community spirit.

“AMI Insurance bought 200 tickets for junior rugby league players to attend the match, while a group of other local businesses have bandied together for New Brighton to take almost 500 local children to the game,” said Mr Wallace.

“It is great to meet the players at your school but to be able to see them in the flesh as well, that will be something special.”

Mr Wallace said that a sold-out stadium would add the icing on the Carnival of Rugby League and expected the last few hundred tickets to be snapped up in the next couple of days.

ENDS

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