Player Appearances
The Chiefs players enjoy getting involved with visits to a variety of community groups, hospitals and schools each season.
As well as this, the Chiefs players are available to the public at the end of their open training sessions (see our "Upcoming Events" page during the season for date and time details), and for autograph signing on the field following home games.
As an elite sporting organisation we have the capacity to make a difference on many levels. Part of this commitment to the community is facilitated through player appearances, as well as school programmes, autographed material and our official charity, Pass It On Foundation.
As part of our Community Engagement Programme, our core focus in relation to player appearances relates to meaningful and sustainable activity rather than one-off events and therefore the vast majority of appearances are taken up as part of the Chiefs' ongoing community programmes in schools (see the Community section of the website for further information).
Outside of these programmes players are available for a limited number of appearances. While we endeavour to provide support where we can, unfortunately we are unable to fulfil every worthwhile request due to the volume of requests received. Where we are unable to fulfil your request, we will try to assist you with some form of promotional material and/or prizes.
AVAILABILITY
The Chiefs season runs from February until May with pre-season training in December and January.
The Waikato season runs from August until November with pre-season training starting in July.
Player appearance will be declined during the time in which players have compulsory time away from rugby (usually June and November). Requests will also be declined for a day prior to a match or for the day after a match.
CHARITABLE CAUSES
PLEASE NOTE - The Chiefs have a preferred charity partnership with the Pass It On Foundation, however, we do support other charity groups and causes.
CRITERIA
The following criteria are applied when prioritising appearances requests:
- Direct interaction with a wide audience.
- Clear role for player/s at the event.
- Minimal athletic/exercise programmes that may present the risk of injury (e.g. social basketball match).
- Minimum of four (4) week period of notice before actual appearance date.
The following requests will not be considered:
- Events that conflict with training, competition or club event schedule.
- Where insufficient time has been allowed from receipt of request to anticipated appearance (i.e. less than four weeks).
- During the players leave period (June and November).
- When the request has come from an individual and is of a personal nature e.g. birthday party.
- Where the request is for a business or commercial organisation not already associated with the Chiefs.
PROCEDURE
- The Chiefs will consider all legitimate requests. For planning purposes, we require at least four weeks notice of any request for players or for a player to attend a community visit. It is advisable to simply request the number of players required, as we cannot always meet requests for specific players.
- Requests will be processed in accordance with the above mentioned criteria.
- Requests can be made by filling out the form below or sending a request to us at: Player Requests, Chiefs, PO Box 9507, Hamilton 3240, emailed to or faxed to 07 83 9911.
Please note:
- We do not accept money for any player appearance.
- We cannot accept personal requests for birthdays, weddings etc.
- All requests (whether successful of not) will receive notification from us within 7 working days of the request being received.
- We cannot accept responsibility where a confirmed appearance is cancelled at short notice due to unforeseen circumstances, although we will do our best to re-schedule or replace the players as possible. Unfortunately last-minute changes to training/meeting schedules do occur from time-to-time.
- We retain the right to deny any request.
The Chiefs receives hundreds of requests for players to make appearances so please don't be disappointed if we cannot meet your request.
