Luca Gates on the pitch at the Principality Stadium.
Ten-year old Luca was selected by Vodafone to deliver the match ball at Wales v England because of his dedication to grassroots rugby.
Vodafone gave Luca Gates, a local grassroots rugby player, the opportunity to deliver the match ball at the 5 August 2023 Vodafone Summer Series game between Wales and England.
Luca was selected by Vodafone to deliver the match ball because of his dedication to grassroots rugby.
Vodafone has pledged to help 25,000 people in Wales over the next 12 months by giving local people, sports clubs and businesses the connectivity and skills they need to stay connected, as well as grants to help engage young people in sport.
Local club Tylorstown RFC, from the Rhondda Valley, also met Wales heroes including Warren Gatland and Louis Rees-Zammit at the Captain’s Run, as part of the Sported partnership.
Vodafone, Principal Partner of the Welsh Rugby Union, gave local South Gower RFC player Luca Gates the opportunity to walk out onto the pitch at Principality Stadium and deliver the match ball at the 5 August 2023 Vodafone Summer Series game between Wales and England.
Luca, 10, was selected by Vodafone because of his passion for and dedication to rugby. He first started playing for South Gower RFC when he was 6 years old. During his time with the club, he has won a number of awards in recognition of his talent, passion and dedication both on and off the pitch.
Players and coaches from local club Tylorstown RFC, from the Rhondda Valley, also had the chance to meet Wales heroes, including Warren Gatland and Louis Rees-Zammit, at the Captain’s Run. A Sported partner club, Tylorstown were rewarded for their incredible work in the local community, helping underprivileged kids grow and develop their skills on and off the pitch.
Players and coaches from local club Tylorstown RFC meet their Wales rugby heroes.
Vodafone is committed to supporting grassroots sports clubs in Wales and across the UK. Through its charity partnership with Sported, a UK-wide grassroots sports charity, Vodafone is offering free connectivity, digital skills training and a grant-giving scheme to grassroots sports clubs to help engage more young people in sport, tackle inequality and boost health and wellbeing through sport.
Vodafone teams up with Sported to tackle digital exclusion and support thousands of young people across the UK
Sports.connected is part of Vodafone’s everyone.connected campaign to help four million people cross the digital divide before the end of 2025.
New research from Sported has highlighted just how vital better connectivity and digital skills are to the success of their community groups. 66% of the groups don’t consider themselves to be well-connected and 88% believe digital skills support would be valuable. As a result, Vodafone has pledged to help 25,000 people in Wales over the next 12 months by giving local people, sports clubs and businesses the connectivity and skills they need to stay connected and run more efficiently.
Speaking after the Wales v England match, Luca said: “Rugby is a huge part of my life, so it was a dream come true to walk out onto the pitch ahead of such a big game, take in the amazing atmosphere and see some of my favourite players up close.
“It’s an experience I’ll never forget.”
Nicki Lyons, Vodafone’s UK Chief Corporate Affairs & Sustainability Officer, said: “At Vodafone we believe that sport has the power to transform young people’s lives and we understand the vital role that grassroots community clubs play in this.
“We are passionate about using our partnerships with the WRU and Sported to give back to these groups and local communities and give well-deserving people like Luca these once-in-a-lifetime experiences.”
Lions Legacy: local rugby clubs score big with Vodafone
Local rugby clubs from all four nations of the UK are now on firmer footing thanks to fundraising by rugby legends and with donations from Vodafone.
Sported Chief Executive Sarah Kaye said: “We want to give young people opportunities to connect with sport in different ways and to take the inspiration back to their grassroots clubs.
“And in giving our members and young people an opportunity to be right at the heart of the build-up to a huge occasion such as Wales v England, Sported’s partnership with Vodafone has been able to give them an experience they will never forget.”
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We have a strong track record as a tech pioneer, making the UK’s first mobile phone call, sending the first text message, and making the UK’s first live holographic call using 5G in 2018. We were the first to start carrying live 5G traffic from a site in Salford, Greater Manchester and now have 5G in locations across Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain as well as the UK. Meanwhile, our 4G network coverage currently reaches over 99% of the UK population.
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