RugbyWA is delighted to announce an expansion of its Belt Up partnership with the Insurance Commission of Western Australia.
The partnership has been extended to include additional funding for the South West region over the next two years. The funding provides balls and training equipment to clubs throughout the South West Region, and helps RugbyWA deliver competitions in Esperance, Bunbury, Albany and Busselton.
Since the commencement of the partnership in 2014, the Insurance Commission has provided over $2 million to RugbyWA and the grassroots rugby community, with more than 21,500 Belt Up branded rugby balls distributed to clubs throughout the state.
RugbyWA CEO, Simon Taylor, said: “RugbyWA is thrilled to see our partnership with the Insurance Commission of Western Australia extend to the South West.
“The Insurance Commission’s continued engagement in our sport is immensely beneficial, delivering much-appreciated funds and equipment to our grassroots rugby community throughout the state. As a growing hub of Rugby Union within the state, investment in the South West region is incredibly important, to secure the growing game and promote community connection, promising a flourishing future of the sport.”
Belt Up is the Insurance Commission’s road safety awareness campaign to promote the use of seatbelts on WA roads to reduce the severity of injury in the event of a crash. The Belt Up branded balls provided by the partnership help deliver the message directly to the rugby community.
Alison Wilson, General Manager Governance and Stakeholder Relations at the Insurance Commission said:
“The Belt Up campaign is an important initiative to encourage the use of seatbelts, every time you get into a car, to reduce preventable injuries and fatalities resulting from crashes. Each year, around 100 people are killed or seriously injured in crashes as a result of not wearing a seatbelt.”
“Regional WA is overrepresented in crash statistics, and the expansion of our partnership with RugbyWA into the South West of the State helps push this important message to country rugby players, who travel greater distances on our roads. We’d much rather see you on the field than end up as a statistic. Play it safe and Belt Up!”
The Insurance Commission’s existing sponsorship of the Belt Up Colts competition and Belt Up Round will continue to promote the Belt Up message to a high-risk demographic, encouraging better road behaviour and safety.
