Grant Award View - GA206869

The sister state relationship between Queensland and Saitama Prefecture, in combination with the sporting alliance between the Queensland Reds and Panasonic Wild Knights will present an enormous opportunity to support diplomacy and goodwill between our two countries Our Partnership will focus on the sharing of excellence through various initiatives such as exchange programs, business of rugby summits, rugby festivals as the key drivers of this partnership. The intention is to announce our partnership by way of a formal ceremony at Kumagaya Stadium in Saitama, in December, 2021. Dignitaries from all parties will be honoured at the event. The ceremony will be centred around a commemorative match between the Queensland Reds and Panasonic Wild Knights. The match will be the 30th anniversary of the Queensland Reds match played against Saitama in 1991. Representatives from both teams will be in attendance. This match will be the first of an annual reciprocal event which we hope to grow to demonstrate the breadth of Rugby across international borders. Our vision is to deliver a rugby festival showcasing teams from Saitama and Queensland including women’s, university and schools. The development of a community rugby working group would support the growth of rugby in both regions.