BACK TO BLUE AND BLACK FOR CARDIFF RUGBY
The men in charge at the Arms Park explain the full reasons behind the decision to rebrand Cardiff Blues as Cardiff Rugby from next season
SO, it’s now official. Cardiff Blues are to be rebranded as Cardiff Rugby from August 1 this year.
There’s a new logo and the team will play in the club’s traditional blue and black colours from next season.
Following the announcement, chairman Alun Jones and chief executive Richard Holland faced the media in the Arms Park trophy room.
Here’s what they had to say in response to the key questions.
Q: What would you say to the accusation that you are alienating people in the valleys with this move?
Alun Jones: I think they will understand why we have done this.
What the rebrand does is to re-connect with our history. It’s about having a clear identity.
What did the Blues part of Cardiff Blues mean to anybody?
People will have their own preference and draw their own conclusions.
But this is really about clarity, identity and improvement.
Let’s be clear about our identity. To me, there’s a certain honesty about that and I think people would prefer to have that honesty and welcome it.
Q: Some people will say what you are doing here is not very regional. So what are you? A club or a region?
Richard Holland: We are a club with regional responsibilities.
We are not shirking those responsibilities or moving away from them. In fact, we want to invest more to improve and strengthen them.
We are fully committed to our pathways and our community foundation, which last year saw 50,000 people engaged and we have set a target over the next three years to double that.
The rebranding cements in concrete who we are.
There has always been this question mark over what purpose Blues serves. It’s a suffix, at the end of the day, to Cardiff.
This change is reaffirming who we are and being proud of that, while still continuing our regional duties.
We believe it’s the right decision. It’s an exciting development for us as a company where we embrace the rich history and heritage of ourselves as a club.
Cardiff rugby is a brand that’s familiar around the planet in the world of rugby. It’s one of the most significant and recognised brands in rugby.
The Scarlets have done this for a number of years.
AJ: The really important message is that, as far as we are concerned, absolutely nothing changes as far as our regional obligations go. Nothing changes as far as the PRA is concerned or in terms of the pathway and academy structure.
All the rugby programmes and community work we do continues and hopefully grows. This is about improvement.
It’s also about having that clear identity and knowing what you are. I don’t think that’s contrary to any of our regional obligations.
Q: Do you think you will lose any supporters because of this move?
RH: In terms of our support base, the risk is minimal.
In all, 78 per cent of our supporters come from Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. Of the remaining 22 per cent, 17 per cent comes from outside of the region and five per cent from the north of our region.
That doesn’t mean this is something that’s trying to disenfranchise that five per cent. We would be delighted if we could grow that to bigger numbers.
We will be disappointed if we did lose fans, but that’s not the intention. The intention is to keep the support base in place and grow it.
We will do everything we can to ensure we keep engaged with all our supporters, wherever they are from.
But in terms of risk, the data supports the decision that has been taken.
Q: What reaction have you had from Pontypridd RFC and Merthyr RFC?
RH: We have had informal discussions with the two Premiership clubs in our region.
I spoke to Sir Stan Thomas, at Merthyr and he offered his full support and congratulations on what he believes is a strong move for us as a club, which is great.
We haven’t had any direct feedback on it from Pontypridd.
We have had discussions with our academy management and we feel that’s the most important part in terms of ensuring that relationship stays strong and we are confident that will be the case.
Q: How much has the rebrand cost and how much do you hope to benefit financially from it?
RH: The cost of the rebrand has been minimal.
We did most of it in-house. We already had a relationship with Two Circles, the sports marketing agency we worked with on it.
To date, I don’t think it’s even got to £1,000 in terms of cost. It’s been very small.
In terms of the upside, we believe it can only have a positive impact.
We are already having dialogue with international companies. We have a history of support from global entities who associate because of the Cardiff brand.
Some of the conversations we are currently having with similar organisations are very exciting.
AJ: This is about being brave and recognising what Cardiff as a brand – not only as a club but a city – can bring us economically. It’s about playing to your strengths.
Q: What is the Cardiff Rugby jersey going to look like next season?
RH: The kit has already been designed, with the rebrand having been agreed internally by the board. The Cambridge blue and black colours are the colours of Cardiff Rugby moving forward for the 2021-22 season and beyond. Macron have designed the home and away kit with our input.
Q: How does the Cardiff RFC Premiership team fit into the rebrand?
RH: Cardiff Rugby is the overarching brand that’s going to
encompass the pro team and the semi-pro team. We see it as an elite pathway where we can bridge the gap between the semi-pro and pro environment. That’s for players and coaches.
Cardiff, as the Rags team, will play in the Premiership. There is no change with that.
In terms of the player group that we have, it’s down to the coaches. If they feel a player needs to play rugby at Pontypridd, Merthyr or Cardiff, these are rugby decisions.
Q: How does this move tie with plans to extend your lease on the Arms Park?
RH: Conversations are ongoing with the Athletic Club on that.
We want this as our home, so do our supporters and sponsors.
We are still hopeful we will find a solution to that.
It’s not in our gift to give ourselves a new lease. Might this assist and help us in that process? Potentially, but it’s not the reason for doing this.
Q: Some younger fans will only be aware of the Blues era. Do you have to engage with them to explain the heritage and why you have done this?
RH: The make-up of the team doesn’t change, the location doesn’t change. I am sure all our young supporters will continue to follow their idols on the pitch.
AJ: I think it’s a great opportunity for us to introduce them to some of the names they probably haven’t heard before, who are associated with the club.
Q: Should you have done this sooner?
RH: Yes, is probably the answer. We have all got a PhD in hindsight. We feel we are in the right place to make that move now and we are pleased to be doing it.