In pursuit of sporting perfection

Lexus leads the way in nurturing young sporting talent and forging strong community links with the launch of its 2008/2009 Junior Rugby Festival. Across Britain 4,000 youngsters will be competing in six regional tournaments during September with the winners progressing to the national finals next spring.

Established in the south-east in 2005, the Lexus Junior Rugby Festival has grown to become a national event, with all 50 of Lexus’s mainland Centres sponsoring a local club in the competition’s Under-13, Under-14, Under-15 and Under-16 categories. The support package includes launch events at each participating Centre, special Lexus-branded rugby shirts and local media promotion opportunities. For this year’s event, Lexus is working with ITV Local’s community internet service to gain wider coverage, with a dedicated area including match footage and a Centre specific page for the launch activities.

At all Centre launch events, all players will be eligible to enter their name in a prize draw with the winners enjoying a training session with England International Richard Hill.

This year’s festival will bring together 50 clubs competing in six regional tournaments across three weekends in September. Each 14-minute match will be played 12-a-side (six forwards and six backs, with four substitutions). The winners from each age group pool and the best runner-up will qualify for the final.

The festival finals day will take place at Old Albanians RFC in St Albans on Easter Saturday, 11 April, next year.

Lexus Junior Rugby Festival Schedule
Central and East Anglia: Old Albanians, St Albans, 14 September.
South-East: Westcombe Park RFC, Orpington, 14 September.
North and Mid-West England: Sandbach RFC, Sandbach, 21 September.
North and Mid-East England: Sheffield Tigers RFC, Sheffield, 21 September.
Scotland and North of England: Cartha Queens Park RFC, Glasgow, 28 September.
South-West and Wales: Keynsham RFC, Bristol, 28 September.
National Final: Old Albanians RFC, 11 April 2009.