Gareth Thomas Heads Up Launch Of Rugby League World Cup

Former Rugby League and Union International Gareth Thomas was the star guest at the launch of the Rugby League World Cup held at the Ramada Plaza Hotel earlier today.

Over 40 million people from around the world are expected to tune into the event this coming autumn, with Wrexham hosting Wales VS USA in Group D, followed by a Quarter Final featuring the winners of Groups A and D.

Richard Jones, Consultant for RLWC 2013, spoke to local business owners and event stakeholders, introducing both the event itself and some of the community driven initiatives on offer. One such is ‘A Day To Remember’, where local businesses can contribute £500 or more and fund tickets to that value for local community members who normally would not have the opportunity to attend the game.

Attention then turned towards the guest for the afternoon Gareth Thomas, who spoke highly about the town he now refers to as his ‘second home’ after his time at the Crusaders:-

“Wrexham was a place more than anywhere else where the fans embraced the team. When times were difficult with the team and we didn’t know if we would even be paid, the fans really drove us on.”

He went on to highlight his experiences with young people in the area:-

“From what I heard from the children in the local area (in my time at Crusaders) they were craving heroes. Not just ones they see on TV but real heroes and players they can aspire to be like.”

In the run up to the World Cup, a number of community initiatives have been set up to encourage participation amongst young people and this has even spanned as far as the classroom itself with learning exercises.

Conversation then turned towards Wales’ chances in the event itself.

“Wales could, potentially, get to a Quarter Final, which would be an amazing achievement. They could play against Australia in Wrexham, which is a massive incentive.”

Gareth also highlighted the sheer magnitude of the event itself, and the business opportunity involved:-

“When World Cups come about, everyone takes notice. People of Wrexham need to know that people from all over the globe will be watching. It’s the chance to create a legacy that Wrexham is a sporting town and if their are bums on seats this will go a long way for the reputation of Wrexham around the world.”

Asked on which type of game he prefers, Gareth said he now prefers Rugby League as there was ‘more running and more action’. He also felt as though Rugby Union had become somewhat dominated by rules, some of which he didn’t understand!

On looking towards the future, a member of the crowd asked whether he had thought of American Football, to which he replied ‘you’ll be asking me if I want to go in the jungle next!’

Tickets for the Rugby League World Cup are now on sale, including the Group D game between Wales and USA and prices start from as little as £10.