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World Rugby, the global governing body for rugby union, has appointed sports marketing consultancy Strive Sponsorship to evaluate opportunities within the video game and esports market.

This move marks Strive’s second partnership of this ilk, with the English and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) appointing the London-based consultancy to seek out esports opportunities earlier this month.

Esports has grown massively in terms of participation and viewership. Fifa, soccer’s world governing body, has a number of esports competitions, while both basketball and football also have natural entry points into the esports market through their title NBA 2K and Madden.

Tom Hill, chief commercial officer at World Rugby said: “We’re keen to better educate ourselves in the world of gaming and esports prior to making an assessment of what opportunities may exist in helping us achieve our objectives,

“Strive's intrinsic understanding and strong track record in sport, esports and gaming – and their intersection, gives us the confidence that we’re getting the best advice to make key strategic decisions.”

Malph Minns, managing director of Strive, added: “We’re thrilled to be working with World Rugby to help educate them on the space and explore potential opportunities that play specifically to their objectives, key target audiences and territories.”

The World Rugby Women’s Sevens Series continues in Kitakyushu from 20th to 21st April 2019.