Teesside Student Union is the leader of the pack when it comes to watching the World Cup this Autumn
The region, including Middlesbrough’s Riverside Stadium, will host several games over the coming month and the University’s Student Union is preparing for it by:
- Opening early on the day of the Tonga vs Cook Islands game at the Riverside.
- Showing England games on the big screen.
- showing all games the other matches on either the big or small screens
- Offering Student deals on food and drinks
Carl Brown, 22, one of the supervisor’s at the Students Union says it’s the place to be for all Teesside students interested in rugby.
He said: “First of all being Welsh, Rugby is in my blood whether it be Union or League so I’m rooting for my home country I’m sorry to say but for the area here, but it’s great that we get to host these big events.
“During my time at University I’ve been lucky enough to see the town buzzing with events such as The Killers and James Bay performing and also with the Arctic Monkeys performing next June as well as the Rugby World Cup, there’s certainly things to get excited about here in Middlesbrough.
“Our plan here at the Student Union for the England game’s coming up not just for the Rugby League World Cup but for the Football World Cup as well is to have it on the big screen’s and get that atmosphere inside our bar that you only get when watching live sports.
“For the game here at the Riverside at the end of October, we’re planning on opening early and with the game being on Halloween weekend there’s plenty of events going on here and in the town for people coming from afar so!”
With Middlesbrough and Newcastle hosting games this month you may think the North East may not be well known for their rugby league, but still the history of hosting big events being sporting or other is nothing new with Newcastle hosting the Magic Weekend yearly and Middlesbrough hosting the likes of The Killers and the England men’s national football warm up games for the Euro’s in recent years.
The Rugby League World Cup starts this tomorrow, with England getting the home tournament underway against Samoa in Newcastle (St’ James Park) at 14:30.
England were awarded the right to host the 2021 Rugby League World Cup six years ago now. More than 2,000 days have passed since then and plenty has changed; there has been significant turnover at the top of the sport, there has been a global pandemic leading to a 12-month delay and constant uncertainty but on Saturday, at long last, the action gets under way.
This tournament could be transformative for a sport that faces a fascinating future on and off the field. Make no mistake about it, rugby league in this country rarely gets the opportunity on a stage as significant as this.
The World Cup holders Australia are heavy favourites to retain their crown at this year’s tournament in England.
Australia and Head Coach, Mal Meninga’s go into this year’s World Cup, having won the last two World Cups in 2013 and 2017.
