In this second episode of the Behind The Badge podcast, the team take a trip to the Maple Leaf country of Canada to take a deeper look into the growth of rugby in the country and North America as a whole.

Joining SBC Sponsorship Director George Harborne and Insider Sport Business Journalist Callum Williams, is Alex Borthwick, Director of Digital Strategy of the Toronto Arrows.

Borthwick entered new territory with North American rugby, as he addressed the challenges of being in charge of helping to grow a relatively niche sport in a country dominated by the likes of ice hockey and basketball.

It was this ‘startup mentality’ that led to the Arrows organising a deal with betting operator Coolbet, but not without its hardships Borthwick revealed. The discussion also took an in-depth look at the opportunities and challenges of rugby participation in Canada from a grassroots level to help the future of the sport.

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