International sports federation for Rugby, World Rugby, have launched .RUGBY gTLD after acquiring it in March from Roar solutions. With this launch, World Rugby aims to accelerate the adoption of Rugby as a sport in emerging markets to create its identity as well as to build a digital space for rugby related activities online.
Word Rugby say that competition to entice a young audience in the digital space is immense and a sport like Rugby is a perfect example to attract this segment. They believe that by acquiring the .RUGBY gTLD, World Rugby have won half the battle in attracting a large part of the audience that has more than 330 million viewers worldwide.
By launching .RUGBY, World Rugby say that they aim to reach those markets where Rugby as a sport is lesser known than the sport that is popular in that country. They believe that this launch will also help create an identity for the sport and build a platform for online activities dedicated for the same.
Speaking about the launch, Agustin Pichot, Vice-Chairman at World Rugby said:
Building a deeper connection with the youth audience is critical to the relevance and sustainability of sport and rugby is no different. The .rugby domain is an important fan-engagement enabler for rugby, a community promoter and protector and a potential new revenue stream for unions.
Brett Gosper, Chief Executive at World Rugby agrees with Pichot. He said:
Ensuring that .rugby was kept within the sport for the benefit of global rugby is in line with our strategic mission to protect and promote the sport, uniting the community and furthering our audience reach and therefore we are underwriting the provision of a package of .rugby domains for our unions, should they wish to embrace this exciting opportunity.