Mather & Co designs World Rugby Hall of Fame

Mather & Co will work with World Rugby and Rugby Borough Council to create an interactive exhibition space dedicated to the sport.

The Hall of Fame will include video archive material, memorabilia and digital installations, says the consultancy.

Mather & Co has previously designed sporting museums both in the UK and across the world, including the Springboks Experience in Cape Town, which looks at the history of rugby in South Africa, and The Nevin Spence Centre, an attraction focusing on rugby in Ulster.

Mather & Co’s Steve Deany, the key designer for the project, says of the World Rugby Hall of Fame: “It obviously makes it special that this museum is in the birthplace of rugby. It will have three main areas, with one focusing on the history of rugby, from its beginning to the global spread of the game and onto current events.

“The museum will also look at the six regions and 120 teams that make up World Rugby, as well as the five core values of the sport – integrity, passion, solidarity, discipline, and respect.

“At the end of the journey, visitors will come to the Wall of Fame exhibition, which features large, interactive digital projections that let them investigate historic games. But it’s not all about the players; we’ve also focused on the fans that make the game. The Wall of Fame will be updated continuously, so that the exhibition remains current,” he says.

Deany also said it was important to the designers that the museum appeals to the general public, as well as to rugby superfans.

“We hope that it will provide some more unusual information, as it’s not just about English rugby,” he says. “Visitors can also find out about the rugby teams and fans in, for example, Fiji or Madagascar – we’re looking at the sport on a global rather than national scale.”

The next global-wide rugby event is the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro later this year, following last year’s Rugby World Cup. The World Rugby Hall of Fame will open later this year.