Rugby United will empower community clubs who are seeking to make long term cultural change in how they engage and become more accessible to their local communities, in order to attract players, coaches, volunteers, and match officials from Black and South Asian groups.
WHY ARE WE DOING THE PROJECT?
RFU baselining research has revealed a particular gap in the population of Black and South Asian people involved in rugby, 4% of the rugby population are from Ethnically Diverse community’s vs circa 20% of the total English population. (ONS Census 2021). Inline with the wider RFU Strategy this Project will focus on young people from 14-18.
HOW IS IT FUNDED?
Rugby United is funded in part by the Rugby Football Foundation (RFF) and being match funded through fundraising being undertaken by the RFU Fundraising team. The RFF exists to promote community participation in healthy recreation by providing facilities for playing rugby and other sports, and to advance the education of the public in the history and development of rugby.
WHAT ARE THE IMPACTS AND KPI’S?
The Hubs will work across the area to achieve 3 impacts with associated KPI’s
- More young players from Black & South Asian groups within the game and within clubs
- KPI – 10,000 more young people from Black & South Asian groups experiencing rugby
- More coaches from Black & South Asian groups
- KPI – 150 more coaches from Black & South Asian groups
- Clubs reporting an increase in numbers of young people from Black & Asian groups playing & more coaches from Black & South Asian groups at the club
- KPI – Examples of inclusion being sustained across the rugby landscape
- KPI – Clubs are reporting their offer & membership demographics have been changed through the Rugby United project
HOW IS THAT GOING TO BE ACHIEVED? – BIG PICTURE
To offer more young people from Ethnically Diverse groups an opportunity to discover a love of rugby, we are partnering with locally based organisations to run outreach sessions, taster sessions and celebration events; within schools, Mosques, Madrassas, Mandirs, Churches, Community Centers and anywhere else the newly formed Community Steering groups suggest. This autonomy will be retained by the Community Steering Groups in order to ensure the Black and South Asian groups have ownership of how and where these sessions should be run.
We will also work with Grassroots Rugby Clubs who are seeking to make long term cultural change in how they engage and become more accessible to their local communities, in order to attract players, coaches, volunteers, and match officials from Black and South Asian groups.
By ensuring these activities are being undertaken and linked together we will accelerate and ensure a long term change across the rugby landscape.
WHERE AND HOW ARE WE MAKING AN IMPACT
All of our delivery has the core values at the centre of everything we do. The core values are an excellent tool to promote rugby and it’s many benefits. All of our coaches provide fun and enjoyable sessions, that promote teamwork, respect, sportsmanship and discipline.
We take extra time to provide the participants with chance to self-evaluate and decide on developments for the group and Peer’s. With the use of game based scenarios and small skill development games, it enables the participants to try out new skills and also challenge themselves with challenges set by themselves, others in the group or the coach.