On returning to play in European rugby tournaments after the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, EPCR is launching a social campaign addressed directly to European club rugby fans: You are our stars.

While everyone’s daily life has been turned upside down, the world of rugby has not been spared. One stadium after another has closed its doors, the players have stopped playing and the fans have had to be patient.

September 18 marked the long-awaited return of the Heineken Champions Cup and the Challenge Cup. Europe’s biggest teams are in the starting blocks, ready to battle it out to finally know the champions of this 2019/20 season. And yet, this great comeback will be most unusual since the matches will be played behind closed doors or in front of a limited public, the teams will be deprived of their 16th man.

While the European club rugby tournaments have been highlighting stars from every territories for the past 25 years, EPCR is taking advantage of this very special moment to acknowledge and appreciate everyone’s involvement in this epidemic. The real stars are the fans, those who work hard every day to keep their communities moving forward despite these difficult times.

This campaign recognises the humanity and unity that everyone has shown in getting through this difficult time. Team spirit has been the watchword of this lockdown for all those who have helped their neighbours, for those who have gone to work to make the world go round, for those who have lost their jobs, for those who have become home-school teachers. They have held high the values that rugby stands for.

This campaign is aimed at all supporters of European club rugby, Heineken Champions Cup and Challenge Cup. The symbol of the scarf and the representation of the club colours reflect everything that rugby owes its fans: the support, the dynamism, the warmth and the atmosphere felt on a match day.