Def Leppard Sponsor Welsh Youth Rugby Team

Def Leppard have announced that they are to sponsor a Welsh youth rugby team.

One of the coaches for the Cardiff based under-10s team, Rhiwbina, Richard Proctor, has worked on the artwork for three albums with the aged rockers.

Joe Elliot, the lead singer of the band, has declared that the band are ecstatic they are sponsoring the team, however at first he did think they were sponsoring a soccer team.

Elliot told BBC News, “Richard is a long-time friend of mine and he works closely with the band. When he told me he needed a sponsor, I jumped at the chance, only afterwards did I realise it was a rugby and not a footy team!”

He added about the shirts, “Like all things with our logo on it, I think it looks spectacular. I’m not sure it’s going to guarantee a winning team every week though, but at least they will look cool.”

Proctor, whose son plays for the team, said that opponents are shocked when they see who is sponsoring them, remarking, “They don’t take it seriously – they don’t believe it. They’ll say, ‘that can’t be right – what, the Def Leppard?’ We do get a few sideways glances. Even if we lose we still think we look the best!”

Proctor is even hoping that some of the team might get to meet them the next time that Def Leppard are playing in the area, stating, “When they’re on a UK tour, they normally play the Cardiff arena.The next time that happens we will take the boys out to meet the guys and get photos. They’re very responsive to all that.”

Def Leppard, whose members each support Sheffield Wednesday and Sheffield United, have sold over 100 million records across the world since they formed in 1977.

They follow in the footsteps of Super Furry Animals who once had their logo on Cardiff City’s football kit.

[Image via Weatherman90/Wikimedia]