Irish Rugby Partnership
Irish Rugby Partnership
ALDI is proud to be the Official Fresh Food Partner of Irish Rugby, fuelling both the men’s and women’s national teams as they take on the best sides in the world. We’re also fuelling the future stars of the game through ALDI Play Rugby, a non-contact primary schools programme that provides a fun and safe way for children to be introduced to playing rugby and team sport in general.
The partnership is supported by our ALDI Play Rugby ambassadors and, of course, Irish Rugby’s official team mascot, Kevin The Carrot!
ALDI Play Rugby
ALDI Play Rugby (APR) is a non-contact primary schools rugby programme, developed by the Irish Rugby Football Union and supported by ALDI. It offers primary school students a safe and fun introduction to rugby and aims to encourage children to get active, participate in regular exercise and eat healthily. Schools are provided with access to invaluable resources including sessions with Community Rugby Officers, online coaching and equipment. There’s also an occasional visit from Irish Rugby superstars.
WATCH ALDI PLAY RUGBY SCHOOL VISIT VIDEO
Since 2016, hundreds of thousands of boys and girls from across Ireland have participated in the programme with a record 127,000 students taking part last year - an increase of over 90% since the partnership began. The programme is designed so that girls and boys can play together resulting in 47% of the 2023-24 participants being girls.
If you’re interested in registering your school, please contact aldiplayrugby@irfu.ie
APR National Festival
Each year, the APR programme culminates in our National Festival with 300 children from 20 schools across the country getting a chance to play on the hallowed turf of the Aviva Stadium - not to mention hanging out with Kevin the Carrot and meeting members of the Irish men’s and women’s team!
Check out the action from this year’s festival here:
Ambassadors
Our partnership is supported by our ALDI Play Rugby Ambassadors, Linda Djougang, Béibhinn Parsons and Paul O’Connell. Linda and Béibhinn are current Ireland international players and Paul is a former Ireland and British & Irish Lions captain and is the current Ireland forwards coach.
“I’ve been involved with ALDI Play Rugby since 2016 and it’s been fantastic to see the continued growth of the programme. From school visits to the annual National Festival at Aviva Stadium, it’s been a pleasure to see up close the positive impact ALDI Play Rugby is having on boys and girls across Ireland. ALDI’s commitment to supporting grassroots rugby and promoting a healthy lifestyle through programmes like this is admirable and I’m proud to be a part of it.”
Paul O’Connell, ALDI Play Rugby Ambassador
Team Mascot
Kevin the Carrot has been picked to join the team as the Official Mascot of Irish Rugby. As part of his new role, Kevin the Carrot will be sprouting up pitch side at Ireland’s home fixtures, meeting the fans and rooting for the national team. Keep your eyes peeled for Ireland’s Freshest Fan at all Ireland’s home games and at APR events around the country.
Check out his journey to becoming the Irish team’s mascot here:
