A 2022 fan engagement initiative by the French Rugby Federation (FFR) called ‘La Voix Du XV’ was a search to find the best 15 French rugby union supporters who could ignite the France team for the 19 March Guinness Six Nations Grand Slam crunch game against England.
The campaign, titled ‘La Voix Du XV / The Voice of the XV’, began at the start of the tournament with the release of a call-to-action spot which saw France Rugby begin a search for its best XV supporters on 24 February and ask viewers to submit their applications for the squad to a bespoke website at https://www.lavoixduxv.ffr.fr/partici… in what was also a digital list-building initiative for the union.
The aim was for the chosen 15 to spearhead the in-stadium support, to set an example to the rest of the crowd and spread emotion and passion throughout the stadium on game day. In return, the chosen 15 ‘crème de la crème’ of French supporters will win a VIP match day experience which includes complimentary match tickets, as well as free transport and accommodation, plus meet-and-greet opportunities.
To enter, fans were asked to fill out data collection boxes and describe what makes them such as a good Blues supporter.
Some of the criteria included:
> Being able to be heard by 80,000 people without breaking your vocal cords
> Have the physical condition of a number 8 to keep up with two 40-minute cardio sessions
> Know what the rugby terms ‘casserole’, ‘spoon’ and ‘fork’ mean
> Be available on 19 March from 2pm until midnight.
The final selection of the best 15 France fans was made by the players themselves and the supporter squad was invited to lead the support for the Blues against England for the final round of the tournament at the Stade de France where France will seek their first Grand Slam in 12 years.
The supporter squad was chosen from more than 200 applicants and was unveiled on 15 March through a follow-up film fronted by Blues star Romain Ntamack and akin to a team squad announcement via a spot amplified across FFR’s own channels and via a squad line-up graphic mimicking the way the union itself announces its team for each game.
“This activation consists of rewarding our loyal supporters who love, accompany and show unwavering support for our XV of France. ‘La Voix du XV’ are the XV of the best supporters selected from more than 200 video applications,” explained FFR Director of Communication and Digital Laurent Latour. “We invite the winners to our ‘bodega grandstand’, a grandstand full of atmosphere. The winners will have a sacred mission: to give voice. Our objective is, from a limited number of supporters, to create the conditions of “contagion of emotions” so that the whole Stade de France supports our team whether it is during a test action, or more harshly during defensive phases or the weak times of our team.”
“The FFR has the major project of providing immense support to the XV of France and to all the French teams by creating magnificent atmospheres in all the enclosures. sports clubs that welcome them,” adds Laurent Latour. “We are working on the psychology of crowds, and the contagion of emotions within the stadiums, to create the conditions for massive support that will allow our teams to surpass themselves mentally and outperform during matches, as well as generate fervor and atmosphere that will make rugby matches unforgettable for our supporters. In this context, we have launched several initiatives, the latest of which is “La Voix du XV de France”.
Comment
This initiative not only rolled out at the climax of the 2022 Guinnes Six Nations, but also a year and a half before France host the 2023 Rugby World Cup.
There are echoes here of WRU stadium sponsor Principle Building Society’s own ‘Unofficial Squad’ activation which also ran during the 2022 Guinness Six Nations.
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