Sport Tours Italia Rugby Tours for Rugby Fans Sport Tours Italia was conceived and founded in 2017 offering rugby tours around Italy for fans and Worldwide Rugby Tours came about 18 months later to focus on non-Italian business. A brilliant combination of travel and sport this inventive approach will no doubt perk the ears of many an avid rugby fan. Founded by Chris Heald, who has lived and worked in Italy since 2003 and has been a player, coach and club general manager of rugby since 2007. It was an answer to some of the areas within the game that he saw were in glaring need of development. “I felt I knew the rugby landscape pretty well but had noticed that there was nobody providing a service to rugby fans to watch or play out of the country,” he says, “And it seemed that Italian supporters seemed to only watch the Six Nations as spectators. So, they were missing out on the vast amount of top class rugby that exists year round all over the world.” Deciding to create a business that centred on Rugby, Chris explains that there are numerous businesses that offer sports tour travel and have a menu of events on offer that is very similar to their own. Some of these companies are very well established but they all deal with other sports as well whereas his business is very specific. “We are run by rugby people for rugby people.” He says. PASSIONATE RUGGERS Chris, now in his mid-fifties has been involved in rugby consistently since the age of seven either as a player, coach, manager or, since 2017, with these businesses. His business partner is a 42 x capped former Italy scrum half and the other staff are a rugby player, a fanatical rugby supporter and someone whose spare time is spent photographing rugby.
24 | www.sportside.com
