Wheel Blacks Issue Celebrities a Challenge

MEDIA RELEASE
27 September 2010

Wheel Blacks Issue Celebrities a Challenge

The New Zealand Rugby Foundation Wheel Blacks will take on celebrities and sports personalities in a charity exhibition match of wheelchair rugby at the Auckland Spinal Unit gymnasium in Otara on 10 October.

Fresh from the wheelchair rugby world championships in Vancouver, players from New Zealand’s official national wheelchair rugby team will compete against a team of local celebrities and rugby players, including Tana Umaga, Keven Mealamu, Buck Shelford, the Black Ferns and Shortland Street stars, to raise awareness of the work of the New Zealand Rugby Foundation (NZRF) and its online rugby community website www.no8.co.nz.

The NZRF assists seriously-injured rugby players and their families with the aim of bridging the gap between their ‘before' and ‘after' quality of life. They provide lifestyle retraining and grants for injured players and their families, as well as providing them with vocational training, specialised transport and respite care.

The not-for-profit organisation launched www.no8.co.nz in order to create an online community for passionate rugby supporters that would celebrate New Zealander’s best-loved sport, as well as serve to benefit seriously-injured rugby players.
NZRF CEO Andrew Flexman is excited about the opportunity to spotlight the charity.

"This is a great opportunity for the New Zealand public to see what the Foundation is all about and be inspired by the unsung heroes of rugby – our Wheel Blacks."

Limited tickets to the event will be available for purchase on www.no8.co.nz from 27 September. The public is encouraged to visit the No.8 website to make donations to the NZRF, enter various competitions and engage with interactive activities related to the event, including polls and discussion boards.

With over 140,000 New Zealanders over the age of 16 playing rugby, the NZRF is a vital player in the national game. As well as supporting injured rugby players and the Auckland and Burwood Spinal Units, the NZRF also aims to help prevent further critical injuries through rugby safety and injury prevention initiatives such as RugbySmart and supports other areas of ‘rugby in need' such as wheelchair rugby, NZ Area Schools rugby, player insurance and club rugby.
The No.8 Celebrity Wheelchair Rugby Match will be held at the Auckland Spinal Unit Gymnasium at 30 Bairds Road, Otara, Auckland, at 1pm on Sunday 10 October. To make a donation to the NZRF or to purchase tickets to the event please visit www.no8co.nz.

ENDS

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