Project Rugby making real impact

By Mark Stevens
10/3/19

Over 20,000 have been introduced to the game of rugby union, thanks to the efforts of community teams across Premiership Rugby working with the excellent Project Rugby programme.

Project Rugby is a joint initiative between Premiership Rugby and England Rugby designed to increase participation in the game by people from traditionally underrepresented groups:

• Black Asian & Minority Ethnic People
• People from Lower Socio-Economic backgrounds
• Disabled People

Project Rugby exceeded its initial target of reaching 12,000 participants by the summer of 2018, and has now involved over 20,000 young people, increasing participation in the game by people aged 14-24 from underrepresented populations.

Gallagher have announced their partnership with Project Rugby, bolstering the community insurance broker’s commitment to support not only the professional game, but also at a grassroots level across the country.

In its first season as Official Title Partner of Premiership Rugby, Gallagher has been championing the people within the game that embody the values and spirit of rugby, both on and off the pitch.

The programme engages thousands of participants per year (aged 14+ and 16+ for disabled people) and is delivered by community staff from Premiership Rugby’s clubs at over 750 locations across England, providing accessible opportunities for people to participate in the game at a time and place that can be easily accessed by target audiences.

Wayne Morris, CSR and Community Director at Premiership Rugby: “Launched in 2017, Project Rugby is run jointly by Premiership Rugby and England Rugby allowing rugby to reach new communities and put the benefits of playing the sport on the agenda for many participants for the first time.

“The ground-breaking initiative has been one of the success stories of English rugby with more than 20,000 participants introduced to the game so far. Now, in partnership with such a passionate community broker as Gallagher, who is committed to making a difference, we look forward to Project Rugby getting a huge boost and going from strength to strength.”