Kiwis in business series: Kiwihouse Rugby, Interview with Paul Nicholson

We will be showcasing a Kiwi-run business on a regular basis. The first business we interviewed was Kiwihouse. Zoe sat down with Paul Nicholson, co-founder of Kiwihouse to learn more about who they are, what they do and what is on the agenda this year for the company.

Zoe asked five simple questions…

1. What is your business about?

If you were to ask Kiwihouse who they are, the answer is simple, they are a group of professionals with a shared love and passion for rugby.

In 2017, the All Blacks won the Princesa de Asturias award. The All Blacks representatives in attendance performed the haka to his Majesty the King and Queen, and those who tuned into the awards ceremony. This moment gave New Zealand great exposure here in Spain. Soon after the awards, Paul went and saw New Zealand Rugby with different ideas to help continue to build on this exposure.

From here, Kiwihouse was born.

The first project was the All Blacks Clinics, with involvement from New Zealand rugby union player, Brad Linklater. The first clinic launched in Madrid in July 2018 and sold out within 24 hours, and the second in 2019 in Granada.

2. Rugby isn’t the most popular sport here in Spain but it is slowly growing in popularity. What is Kiwihouse doing to help promote the game in Spain?

Apart from the big events that Kiwihouse are involved with, Paul wanted to connect back to grassroots rugby. They set up a rugby club here in Madrid in September 2022, where they have had 160 kids join. None of these kids had ever played rugby before in their lives but have now fallen in love with the game. 

The rugby club’s point of differentiation is that the coaches who have been involved either represent Spain or have previously represented Spain.

Starting with baby rugby sessions for 2 – 3 year olds, the club numbers continue to grow with children in the under 6s, under 8s and under 10s categories. The focus is to start them young and to build the confidence with a high intensity contact sport over the years.

Rugby is considered as a sleeping giant by the President of the Spanish Rugby Federation, Juan Carlos Martín, which Paul agrees with. Even though Spain has only been to one Rugby World Cup back in 1999, there is a lot of potential for rugby to grow. But there needs to be involvement from everyone to give it the push it needs; institutions, clubs, players and parents.

Rugby does have a lot of competition but there is a big opportunity here for success and growth.

3. What has been your biggest business highlight for you?

Like many of us Kiwis who were able to attend the Classic All Blacks vs. Spain rugby match in 2022, Paul said that the most moving moment for him was hearing the New Zealand national anthem played at Wanda Metropolitano Stadium and then the haka being performed in front of a crowd of 40,000. The crowd absolutely loved it and it was a great image for New Zealand.

This year’s, “The Match” rugby match between Spain and Argentina is the big focus for Kiwihouse. Tickets for the game are sold on thematchrugby.com.

4. Spain is playing Argentina on 26 August 2023, what can we expect from the game?

This match will be the last game that the Pumas will play before facing England in its first group Game at the RWC. Argentina are taking it very seriously and it is highly likely the starting 23 will be the same players that will be starting against England. For Spain it will be the first time that they have faced a Tier 1 nation of this calibre in many years. Let´s hope that this will be the first of many games for Spain against Tier 1 nations to help them improve over the coming years.

The Match is being played at the Civitas Metropolitano stadium in Madrid which is a world class stadium. The stadium includes many VIP areas which can be enjoyed from as little as 62.50€ per person. Regular tickets are available from 30€.

5. What is the plan for the Rugby Sevens?

After the success in both Málaga and Sevilla with them hosting the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series in 2022, Madrid finds itself hosting the first World Rugby Sevens Series Grand Final in 2024. This momentous event is hosted by World Rugby and the City of Madrid with some involvement from Kiwihouse.

Kiwihouse has really helped to bring more exposure to the game and we are excited to follow along to see what they have planned for the coming years.

Tickets are still available for the Spain vs. Argentina rugby match on Saturday 26 August 2023. You can find here www.thematchrugby.com and you can follow Kiwihouse on Instagram @_kiwihouse_

Zoe Romero Ransley

Kiwihouse Rugby