ROUND-UP: Get your teeth into Dragons, pies and Wembley (From Warrington Guardian)

ROUND-UP: Get your teeth into Dragons, pies and Wembley

10:12pm Sunday 8th February 2009 in Wolves news

VINNIE Anderson and Lee Mitchell were the latest Wolves stars to take part in the ' Wolves go back to school programme' when they held an assembly at Great Sankey High School.

Over the last few weeks a number of Wolves players have been visiting local high schools across Warrington to meet and greet local children and promote the engage Super League home opener against Catalan Dragons on Saturday 21st February.

The assemblies have enabled the pupils to meet their heroes as well as providing an ideal opportunity to get valued photos and autographs from the lads.

The players have thoroughly enjoyed the sessions that have given them the chance to be questioned by the pupils about their preparations for the new season.

Wolves forward Vinnie Anderson said " The assemblies are a fantastic idea. It's given us the chance to meet the town's young people and I know all the lads have really enjoyed the enthusiasm and support shown by the pupils."

The Wolves aim to further develop the 'Wolves go back to school' programme with a long term aim of increasing the younger supporter base across the town.

Wolves Director of Commercial Development, Dave Hutchinson said: " With many sports such as football pricing children out, it's important in rugby league that we ensure we are reaching out to young people and getting them interested in the greatest game of all.

To celebrate the launch of the 'Wolves go back to school' programme we're allowing schools and junior clubs to take advantage of a discounted ticket offer for the home opener against Catalans Dragons a week on Saturday."

The offer allows children to come to the game for only £5 and a parent or carer for only £10. To take advantage of this offer they can pick up a leaflet from their school or call into Wolfware at The Halliwell Jones Stadium. Please note this offer is only available on pre-purchased tickets and in the West Stand only.

Any student who has not yet received a promotional leaflet may call in at The Halliwell Jones Stadium but hurry as the offer ends on Friday 20th February.

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RFL Executive Chairman Richard Lewis believes that the 2009 engage Super League season is the start of an exciting new era for the competition.

Speaking at the League's official launch in Huddersfield, he highlighted the successful implementation of club licensing, the introduction of a new play-off format and the expansion of the competition to 14 teams.

Richard Lewis commented on how the licensing process has already begun to deliver many valuable benefits to the sport on and off the field.

It has given clubs a solid platform to develop more quality home grown players who can become established first teamers and international stars.

It has also created an opportunity for them to grow their organisations as businesses and focus on energetic marketing and community activity to promote the unique excitement of the competition.

He also explained how 2009 could be viewed as a year of expansion, as engage Super League matches will be played in a record breaking five different European nations.

England will stage many games, Wales will play host to the Celtic Crusaders’ home fixtures and the Magic Weekend will be staged in the Scottish capital.

But it is Catalans Dragons - whose home games normally take place in Perpignan in France - who will break new ground this season when they stage their Round 17 match with Warrington Wolves in Spain, at Barcelona’s Olympic Stadium.

The 2009 season will climax with the new eight team engage Super League play-offs. The series will feature an innovative new element which sees one team given the opportunity to choose its next opponent.

The format will bring tremendous added excitement and interest to both the regular season and the final decisive phase of the competition. This new feature will also create more opportunities for broadcasters and the media to generate exciting coverage.

Richard Lewis said: “The start of the 2009 season is a truly exciting moment in the history of the competition and the sport as we enter a new era which will see the engage Super League continue to grow and move forward.

“The expansion means engage Super League has increased its spread throughout the UK and is now in a tremendous position to continue to attract more supporters and build on what is already a strong following.

"This exciting development will enhance the competition’s profile even further and generate additional media exposure for the Super League brand".

Lewis added: "On the field, there will be much to savour in 2009.

"The Magic Weekend at Edinburgh’s Murrayfield Stadium will break more new ground for engage Super League and will provide a chance for supporters to enjoy what is a fantastic carnival of Rugby League in one of Europe’s finest cities, as well as building on the previous success of this unique sporting event.

"The new eight team engage Super League play-off series is a tremendous development for the sport and the competition.

"It will create great drama and bring an added dimension to what is already the most exciting period in the season.

"The increase in play-off places will also add more interest to the regular season by giving more matches added significance as clubs battle through the weekly rounds to give themselves a shot at the title.

“By introducing the element that allows the highest placed Qualifier to select their semi-final opponents in week three, Rugby League has once again shown it is a highly innovative and progressive sport".

And - just three weeks after an independent survey showed Rugby League was the best value-for-money team sport - Lewis also announced that the engage Super League's showpiece event will be even more affordable for families in 2009.

A special Grand Final family ticket – for two adults and two children has been launched costing just £55, a saving of 35 per cent.

The ticket will enable families to attend the engage Super League title decider at Old Trafford on Saturday 10 October for a great value price.

In addition a payment plan is to be launched later this month that will allows supporters to pay for tickets for major events over four monthly instalments rather then in a traditional lump sum.

Lewis explained: "The great value-for-money offered by Rugby League will be again emphasised by this exciting engage Super League Grand Final ticket initiative and payment plan. We feel our supporters will respond to this opportunity to attend the most important match of the season in an affordable and accessible manner."

Lewis concluded: "There is a tremendous amount of action to come before that day of course and every supporter of every club can look forward to the season with great anticipation.

"I feel sure all of them will enjoy this coming campaign and I wish them and all the clubs and players the very best of luck for 2009."

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WARRINGTON Wolves have set up a partnership with Woolston Dental Centre in order to provide their scholarship players with gum shields free of charge.

Wolves HR Manager Lynn Bates came up with the idea through recognising the risks of playing rugby league at the highest level and created the partnership to improve the welfare of the club’s forty-eight scholarship players.

Back in January the scholarship players visited Woolston Dental Centre, to have dental moulds taken of their mouths, so that the gum shields could be made to measure to each player individually. Marie Highton, Practice Manager of the Woolston Dental Centre had nothing but praise for the youngsters, “The players were a pleasure to work with and the practice were very proud to be supporting the club”.

Warrington Wolves U16 Coach and 1st Team player Paul Wood was highly impressed with the standard of work and the quality of the gum shields: “The work that the practice have done for the scholarship players has been fantastic. A good gum shield is an essential piece of equipment for anyone playing our sport”.

Marie Highton was quick to thank all of her staff, the dentist Agnleszka and nurses Laura, Gemma and Karen as well as the Dental Lab CDL in Bolton for all of their hard work in making the gum shields for the scholarship players and they looks forward to working with Warrington Wolves again in the future.

Ben Lazenby, Player Performance Manager, always has player welfare as a priority for the scholarship players and is also well aware of the current financial constraints: “This partnership couldn’t have come at a better time, not only can we look after the safety of our players by we can also bite a large chunk of money out of the amount that parents have to pay to support their children. Gum shields are essential for Rugby League as they protect not only the teeth and gums but also protect against concussions”.

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THIS year's Carnegie Challenge Cup Final will be even more affordable after the RFL announced that it is to sell more than 3,000 Wembley final tickets for £10.

Just weeks after being confirmed as the 'Best value for money sport in the UK' *, the RFL has followed up the launch of its £55 family tickets for October's engage Super League Grand Final by giving supporters the opportunity to buy a discounted seat at Wembley to witness one of the biggest games of the season in one of the best stadiums in the world.

The seats, which will be sold via the RFL Box Office on 'Wembley Wednesdays' are located all around the ground in the back three rows of Wembley's upper tier and offer breathtaking panoramic views of the pitch and stadium.

Phil Phil Williams, the RFL's Marketing Manager, said: "We want to make the Carnegie Challenge Cup Final more accessible and affordable to everyone and that is why for a limited period only we will be selling a number of Wembley final tickets for just £10.

"A Wembley final is a truly memorable occasion for the whole family, and in the current climate some of our supporters may be experiencing challenging economic times.

"We hope this move not only attracts those who might be indecisive about the Wembley final but also opens the occasion up to a whole new audience who may never have previously considered buying a ticket for one of Britain's biggest sporting events."

The first two 'Wembley Wednesdays' will take place on 11 and 18 of February with a limited number of the £10 tickets sold each day.

The RFL Box Office will open from 9am and will close at 5pm, and the £10 tickets will only be sold via phone only on 0871 226 13 13 on a first come, first served basis.

In addition to 'Wembley Wednesdays', the RFL recently announced that it would be selling two different family tickets - for two adults and two children - priced £55 and £79 for this October's engage Super League Grand Final at Old Trafford.

To make it even easier for supporters to pay for tickets for major Rugby League events, the RFL will also be launching a new payment plan later this month. This will allow those wishing to buy tickets to pay for them over four monthly repayments rather than in a traditional lump sum.

Phil Williams added: "We are proud to be the Best value for money sport in the UK, and believe the initiatives we are putting in place ensure that this is not a title we will relinquish in the near future."

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The start of the engage Super League XIV campaign has not only seen new signings on the field in Garreth Carvell and Mickey Higham, but off the field too.

The Co-operative Food, PME Aerospace Inspection Ltd, Arco and LA Bowl are to name but a few of the new companies involved in advertising and sponsorship at The Halliwell Jones Stadium for the forthcoming season.

With Emirate Airlines renewing their advertising at the ground and Vestas investing more in the club this year to become principal sponsor, it has never been a better time to market your company and become involved with the Wolves, so why not join the new companies already on board.

At the club we pride ourselves on helping businesses to maximise their potential through our advertising, sponsorship and corporate opportunities, providing both commercial and community benefits. With a wide range of options available from web and stadium advertising to match-day corporate hospitality and player sponsorship we can help boost your business in 2009.

In a recent interview in Business Life in the Warrington Guardian, Steven Broomhead, Deputy Chairman at the club, said: "Rugby League has a vast economic impact on the town and brings £50 million a year into the area. There are so many benefits. Rugby League is an iconic sport, especially with the new stadium. It is a symbol of the town's pride and ambition''...so be a part of it!

The Halliwell Jones Stadium is at the heart of Warrington in a prime location within the North West. To find out what we can do for your company call Dave, Michelle or Rachel in the Commercial Team on 0871 622 1879 to arrange a visit to The Halliwell Jones Stadium, home to the Warrington Wolves.

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PETER'S Food has agreed an exclusive three year contract to become an Official Partner of the engage Super League and to produce the "Official Pie of Rugby League".

As part of the agreement, the Welsh based company will produce a range of "Super League Pies" for the start of the season and will roll out a pasty and sausage roll for the summer months.

Paul Kimberley, the RFL's Commercial Director said: "Peter's Food are a fast growing quality company who are looking to raise their profile and we are delighted that they have chosen to become a partner of our sport.

"It is a sign of the rising stature of the engage Super League that one of Britain's biggest food companies is looking to our sport to endorse its products."

James Osgood, Peter's Food Marketing Director, said: "Peter's Food is passionate about producing great British Food and we're confident that our Super League Pies will be big hit with supporters up and down the country.

"Rugby League is one of the UK's fastest growing sports not only in terms of crowd numbers and television viewers but also where the sport is played. We're proud to be a partner of a league that this season can boast games in five different countries."

Based in Caerphilly, South Wales Peter's Food has grown from a small pie manufacturer in Merthyr Tydfil to a company which bakes over 180 million pies, pastries and sausage rolls each year, delivering to a whole range of clients from major supermarket chains to stadiums, convenience stores and fish and chip shops.

The pies, part of Peter's Premier Pies range, will come in Meat & Potato, Steak and Chicken Curry varieties and will be stocked in supermarkets and convenience chains across the North.

The company is already supplying the likes of London Wasps, The Millennium Stadium, Cardiff City, Charlton Athletic and Sheffield United where pies sales have all increased ahead of the market.

Containing only real cuts of meat, "perfect crunch" pastry, real meat stocks and deliciously deep fills, the Peter's Super League Pies have no artificial colours, flavours, preservatives, flavour enhancers or hydrogenated fats.