WP Rugby Football Union (Founded: 30/5/1883)

WP Rugby is traditionally symbolized by the Blue and White Hoops of its playing strip. Newlands Rugby Stadium, situated in the Southern Suburbs of Cape Town, South Africa, plays home to the proud Union. The 3rd oldest stadium in world rugby, the grand old ground has a capacity of 48 000 and, with the tall stands in close proximity to the playing field, it is world renowned for its electric and intimidating atmosphere. The playing field is unique in the Southern Hemisphere, containing 11km of polypropylene fibres, stitched between the grass, into the playing surface.

The first official matches were played at Newlands on Saturday 31 May 1890 when Villager and Stellenbosch met in such muddy conditions that the curtain-raiser between Bishops and Hamiltons had to be cancelled. The records show that the university side won by a ‘goal to a try’ - the ‘goal’ was described by the legendary Fairy Heatlle as ‘the most remarkable dropped kick I have seen’. The famous ground was to see many more such unforgettable moments.

Newlands Rugby Stadium has hosted 20 South African Test Matches since unification in 1992, with 14 out of the 20 matches going in favour of South Africa.

Since the advent of professional rugby in South Africa, shortly after the 1995 Rugby World Cup, WP Rugby Football Union saw the need to establish a commercial arm to handle the demands of the professional game. In 1996, the commercial arm, WP Rugby (Pty) Ltd, was created to deal with the growing interest from the public, media, sponsors and players, and to maximize commercial opportunities.

WP Rugby Football Union, a non profit organization and major shareholder in WP Rugby (Pty) Ltd, continues to develop the game at amateur level, growing and nurturing rugby at school boy and club level, taking into account areas such as coaching, refereeing, skills development and transformation.

WP Rugby has a rich heritage of excellence, having won the premier domestic tournament in South Africa, the Currie Cup, more times than any other rugby union in the country. With a large contingent of rugby playing schools and clubs in the Province, the Union also has a legacy in producing the most players for the Springboks¹, the National Sevens team², the National under 21 team³ and the SA Schools team⁴.

The Western Province brand has remained true to its blue and white hooped playing strip, with an underlining history, heritage, pride and tradition infused in a colloquial Cape flavoured tagline: WP Jou Lekker Ding. All representative teams from under 13 level, through to the senior professional team that play in the Currie Cup competition, don the Blue and White hooped jersey with the indigenous red Disa on its chest, symbols that have become as synonymous with Cape Town, as Table Mountain and red wine.

When SA Rugby took the decision in 1997 to move from Provincial to Regional participation in the Rugby Super 12 competition (a tournament that includes the top provincial teams from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand), they paved the way for the creation of an exciting and vibrant new icon in the game. WP Rugby took the unprecedented step of creating a second rugby brand known as the Stormers - a Team, a Brand, a Phenomenon.

The move to Regional participation was necessitated by the fact that South African teams needed to be more competitive in the Southern Hemisphere showpiece. Whilst some of the South African teams, such as the Sharks and the Bulls, kept their Provincial identities more or less intact, others such as Western Province and its partners Boland and SWD, were faced with the challenge of creating a brand new identity, one that would reflect the diversity of the region and its fans, provide a flexible platform for marketing and brand building and create a team that would represent excellence, flair, passion and success.

There have been adequate doses of all of these qualities during the first 11 years of the Stormers. From the very first Regional season in 1998 when the then “Western” Stormers first appeared in full technicolour, the semi-final “highs” of 1999 and 2004 and the introduction of the “Men-in-Black” concept, the consolidation of the brand between 2001 and 2006, its spectacular rebirth in 2007 when “Blue” became the new “Black” and the heart-break of missing out on the semi-finals in 2008 - on points difference.

There has always been something different about the Stormers since the team’s Super Rugby inception in 1998. And whilst the kit and colours of the team have changed over the years, icons have come and gone and players have experienced both the high’s and low’s of playing in the most demanding tournament in World Rugby - one element of who the Stormers are has always remained true. The Stormers fan.

As the most supported team in the competition, the Newlands faithful have, regardless of log position, continued to support the Stormers in sweltering heat and driving rain, and patrons around the world have waved their flags and worn their jersey proudly behind enemy lines.

Both brands have a fan centric approach and have over the more recent past become well known for attracting a diverse, knowledgeable and passionate following.

With this fan centric approach in mind, WP Rugby established a supporters club, Club Newlands, in 2003 bridging the gap between the fans and the team. The Club has at its core the database of the most loyal Stormers and WP fans, including the stadium’s large contingent of season ticket holders, suite holders, scholar ticket holders and paying members of the public who have “opted in” to engage with the team and brand through our Club.

The Club has a well established communication platform, which includes a weekly e-zine (electronic magazine) and quarterly printed publication, keeping supporters informed and giving sponsors and partners the opportunity to engage with a captive audience. Club Newlands hosts a number of events, allowing the public to connect with the athletes and coaches at a more intimate level.

In addition to the events, the Club also has its own Members’ Lounge on match days at Newlands Rugby Stadium, where members meet for a drink before and after home games.

¹1891 - 2007: 248 of the 784 players representing South Africa have come from Western Province.
²1993 - 2007: 32 of the 155 players representing South Africa at Sevens Rugby have come from Western Province
³1974 - 2006: 64 of the 297 players representing South Africa at under 21 level have come from Western Province
⁴1974 - 2007: 99 of the 577 players representing South Africa at under 18 (SA Schools) have come from Western Province