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Blackeye urges rugby fans to swap beer for gin
Former rugby stars Mike Tindall and James Haskell are urging fans to swap a beer for gin at the Six Nations in order to support the future of the game.
Alongside television presenter Alex Payne, the brand owners of Blackeye Gin are making the call as their product sees proceeds from each bottle sold go to funding three key categories critical for the future of the game: research, risk and recovery for players past and present.
The gin has now launched 250cl, 6.5% ready-to-drink cans of its product with tonic in packs of twelve, which it hopes fans can enjoy during journeys to and from the games, as well as at Six Nations parties at home.
Injuries
The brand made the call after 19 players have been ruled out of the Six Nations Championships due to injuries either before or during the tournament, highlighting the need for more work to be done on the issue.
Blackeye hopes that sales will enable it to become one of the largest donors to rugby-related causes in the next five years, with the fund specifically looking after those who have been seriously injured, protection for future injured players, as well as funding vital research into making the game safer in the future. The fund also comprises respected medical personnel, influencial decision makers in the game, and will deploy funds raised to good causes across the rugby landscape.
Later in the year, it is also set to announce a new initiative on safety, and it aims to raise £1m a year within five years, the brand said.
Journey
James Haskell said: “Blackeye began, as most good stories do, as a drink between rugby mates. Since then we have been on an incredible journey of distilling, branding, testing, sampling, tweaking and now we’re really excited to be fully off and running.”
Mike Tindall added: “We’re also incredibly proud to have made our first Blackeye Rugby Fund donation (helping Gary Street, World Cup winning coach). Now, we’d love to see rugby fans to swap a beer for an amazing Blackeye Gin and tonic, and in doing so they’ll be helping the game and the players they love.
“Launching our Blackeye cans means it’s never been easier to support the cause, and if Blackeye isn’t yet behind the bar in your clubhouse, it should be!”