Like any legit and passionate fan club, we at BackingBlack decided we needed a clubhouse so all of us fervent All Blacks fans had a place where we could meet up, hang out, be entertained and generally get in behind mighty men in black!
A few months ago we told all of this to the good folk at Telecom, and they too agreed. So after earmarking the perfect pozzy bang in the middle of Auckland’s Viaduct Harbour, the wheels were quickly put into motion to build BackingBlack Headquarters (HQ) and be ready when the world rolled into town for the celebration of rugby that kicked off in September!
With you - our awesome members - top of mind, we made sure HQ ticked all the boxes to give All Blacks supporters everything they needed and craved: a large space that could fit well over 200 people, live music and entertainment; beanbags and couches to lounge about on; Sony PlayStations; a library full of gems; free Wi-Fi; pies and tasty grub (mmmm); coffee that hit the spot; Adidas store to buy kit; foosball and table tennis (like any proper clubrooms should); the amazing Peter Bush ‘Hard On The Heels’ All Blacks photo exhibition; and the latest fancy Telecom technology for you to have a tutu with and be amazed; uncompromised views of the beautiful harbour; heaps of big screens and one maaaaasive screen for the live footy; a bunch of surprises and giveaways; and lastly, the odd All Black and familiar face from time to time…exhale.
BackingBlack HQ saw over 56,000 All Blacks fans (plus the odd Wallabies supporter and whatnot – we’re an accommodating bunch) come through the doors and soak up the entertainment on offer, not to mention devour 497 gourmet pies and gulp 1663 coffees! It was choice to see you fans pose for your Virtual All Blacks experience; we took thousands upon thousands of pictures. [Check them out over here]
And because we’re the All Blacks fan club, HQ wouldn’t be complete without some special visits by the All Backs themselves.
Take a peek at what went down when some of the All Blacks showed up:
But at the end of the day, the clubhouse was created for you to come and support our favourite team as they went to battle against the best in the world on NZ shores. The days and nights when our World Champion All Blacks took to the field were special occasions at HQ, the whole place was a sea of black, full of great vibes and thunderous support as we all watched it unfold on the huge screens – where else would an AB fan want to be?
Here’s some footage of fans at HQ celebrating our win over Argentina:
On behalf of BackingBlack and Telecom, thanks for joining us at BackingBlack HQ. It was a special time we’ll never forget, backed up by a magnificent bunch of men in black who did the business on the field!
Pats on the back all-’round guys! We hope you had as much fun as we did.
@PhilB have look here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/backingblac k/sets/
It's easier to find your picture when you know it was taken (date of the email Backing Black send you).
i can't believe i am over here in australia and i won the RWC final Match ball in an auction, i am so stoked, putting up with all the wallaby fans calling us chokers, well i now have the proof, they are all crying, and now their cricket team is chocking.
Comments
Torrestes
22 November 2011 10:17 PM
http://www.flickr.com/photos/backingblac
k/sets/
It's easier to find your picture when
you know it was taken (date of the email
Backing Black send you).
tooeasy
20 November 2011 12:05 PM
australia and i won the RWC final Match
ball in an auction, i am so stoked,
putting up with all the wallaby fans
calling us chokers, well i now have the
proof, they are all crying, and now
their cricket team is chocking.
PhilB
16 November 2011 6:51 AM
at the BackingBlack HQ ?
By the time we got home to UK (Nov 6)
the site seems to have been removed.
Help!