In June 2026, the Welsh Rugby Union partnered with AOTV to create Together in Pride, a campaign celebrating the role rugby plays in building confidence, belonging and community within Wales’ LGBTQ+ community.
The campaign brought together players from Cardiff Lions, Swansea Vikings and Wrexham Rhinos, showcasing their personal journeys into rugby and highlighting the positive impact inclusive clubs have had on their lives. The film formed part of the WRU’s Pride Month activity and reinforced its commitment to creating a game where everyone feels welcome.
The Challenge
LGBTQ+ stories in sport are often framed around barriers, discrimination and exclusion. While these experiences remain important, we wanted to create something that focused on the positive power of rugby and the communities being built across Wales.
The challenge was to create a piece that felt authentic, emotionally engaging and reflective of real lived experiences while maintaining the high production values expected from the WRU’s digital channels.
Deliverables
For this campaign, we delivered a 3 minute hero-film, with a 30 second teaser going out the day before. For each individual club, we created 60 second cut downs that focusses on their player.
The Approach
It doesn’t happen often that an organisation the size of the WRU gives us “carte blanche” when it comes to producing a video. We wanted to create a video that centred on honest conversations, rather than scripted messaging.
AOTV handled the project from start to finish. From concept to final renders, everything was done in-house. We did extensive research by holding pre-interviews with subjects, so we could get to know them and put them at ease. Some players shared stories on camera they had never shared before.
Players from Cardiff Lions, Swansea Vikings and Wrexham Rhinos were invited to share their experiences of finding rugby, building confidence and discovering a sense of belonging through the sport.
Filming took place inside the Principality Stadium, providing an iconic Welsh rugby backdrop while placing community players at the heart of the national game.
To deepen the emotional connection, the film combined
- Personal interviews
- Cinematic visuals
- Atmospheric stadium visuals
The result was a story led piece designing to feel personal, genuine and relatable.
Metrics
The video gathered over 60,000 views on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok in its first 48 hours. This is incredibly strong for a film that focuses on things other than rugby. The reception and feedback was overwhelmingly positive.