Andy Reed MP on the value of grassroots sport
Andy Reed MP, a keen rugby supporter and judge of our annual Parliamentary Citizenship Awards, spoke last week at a Men’s Health Forum event in Manchester about using sport and sport stadia to improve men’s health. Rugby players can be great role models! Here’s the video:
Harlequins Try Learning
Just found out that last month Literacy Today Magazine ran a nice little story on Try Learning, a scheme that Harlequins are running as part of the DCSF’s Playing for Success programme. In the article, Lisa Fenaroli describes how the programme helps children improve their literacy, numeracy and ICT skills. Click here for a PDF version.
Welcome to the 2008-9 Rugby Season!
Hi, I’m Wayne Morris, Community Manager for Premier Rugby. As our new season kicks off, I’d like to take the chance to give you an overview of the community work that’s coming up…
Our goal is to put community investment at the heart of the work we do as a professional sport. Our Chief Executive Mark McCafferty gives us an overview of the community season ahead in this recent interview:
(To learn more about the sports season itself, listen to Mark’s interview on that subject here.)
We know that by engaging with local communities we cannot just help encourage kids to play rugby, but we can also make a contribution to dealing with other social problems.
Rugby is a great sport and a great way to encourage people to stay active but we think our brands, our players and our facilities can go beyond just addressing physical activity. Our programmes also set out to tackle social issues like health, social inclusion, education, and anti-bullying.
If you’d like to know more about our community policies, partnerships and programmes, don’t hesitate to contact me.
Below is an update on some of our most recent community projects:
Positive Futures
We’ve been working this summer on a few new areas, one of which has been a social inclusion pilot project with Positive Futures in London. To find out more about it, visit our Positive Futures blog post here and listen to a series of interviews with London Active Communities CEO Gary Stannett and others who participated or helped deliver the scheme.
EDF Energy Schools Programme
I am also delighted that we’re starting a new season of the world’s largest rugby-based community programme – the EDF Energy National Schools Rugby Programme, a national programme that has exposed thousands of 8-10 year olds to tag rugby. All twelve clubs in the Guinness Premiership participate; last fall the EDF Energy programme celebrated reaching 500 schools and we hope to reach 112,000 children by July 2009. (The government recognised the achievements of the programme last year when the National Sports Foundation awarded it a grant of almost £200,000.)
Wooden Spoon and the NSPCC
We have also got some interesting new programmes coming with the Wooden Spoon and the NSPCC. But more of that shortly…
Positive Futures Rugby Pilot Programme
Positive Futures is a national social inclusion programme that’s funded by the Home Office. If you’re interested to know more about why the Home Office supports this scheme and in particular the role of sport in it, listen to Home Office Minister Vernon Coaker here:
Coaker also had this to say about the programme:
“We know that playing sports like rugby can boost young people’s confidence and self-esteem which in turn helps to make them resilient to the kind of peer pressure that can sometimes lead to drugs, crime and anti-social behaviour. I welcome the contribution that London’s professional rugby clubs are making in bringing sports to deprived neighbourhoods in inner cities and offering young people an alternative.”
PRL clubs Irish, Harlequins and Saracens worked closely with Positive Futures and charity London Active Communities to deliver an eight week programme to 280 boys and girls.
© Sabera Bham 2008
The programme taught touch rugby skills and also offered drug education, leadership and personal development pathways for participants through workshops and within coaching sessions.
© Sabera Bham 2008
Listen here an overview from Gary Stannett, CEO London Active Communities, on the pilot programme:
Listen here to comments from Helen Clayton, Operations Manager Sport Action Zone, on how the pilot was received by participants:
Listen here to some of the responses from coaches and players involved in the summer project:
New Land Rover Premiership Cup
This one’s quite exciting. Last week Guinness Premiership sponsors Land Rover launched the Land Rover Premiership Cup, a new tournament that each of our clubs will run that will reach 40,000 girls and boys over the next four years. It kicks off in October–you’ll certainly be hearing more about it on his blog. For now, check out the full news release here.
Could Rugby Be the New Boxing?
Caught this article in the Guardian this week:
This is the London Boxing Academy Community Project in north London, which provides a last chance of education for disengaged inner-city pupils more familiar with the criminal justice system than the inside of a classroom. The boxing ring gets them through the door then, in return for the training, they must attend lessons in an adjacent building. If they want to play a full part in sport they also need to stay off drugs.
It sounds a lot like Bristol Rugby’s Inferno programme, which won the Innovation Award at the Parliamentary Citizenship Awards last month.
Parliamentary Citizenship Awards: Awards Reception Photos
Here are some photos from the reception we held at the House of Commons for the EDF Energy Parliamentary Citizenship Awards on May 14.
From left: Derek Wyatt MP, Louise Poole, Mark McCafferty
Mark McCafferty, Premier Rugby Chief Executive
The ‘Club of the Year’ judges. From left: Mark McCafferty, Andy Reed MP, Louise Poole, Derek Wyatt MP, Paul Farrelly MP (Missing: Tanja Rasmussen, BITC)
Presentation of the Innovation Award. Vicky Heslop from Bath Rugby (Highly Commended for the Language Through Sport programme), Derek Wyatt MP, Ben Breeze from Bristol Rugby (Winners for the Inferno programme)
Presentation of the Impact Award. Melanie Magee from Newcastle Falcons (Winners for their Touch Rugby programme), Derek Wyatt MP, Jimmy Deane from Bath Rugby (Highly Commended for the Wilts Sportsmatch Girls Rugby Programme)
Some Photos from the reception:
More Video from the Parliamentary Citizenship Awards
Here is Derek Wyatt, MP for Sittingbourne & Sheppey and Chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Rugby Group, describing why the judges chose Saracens and Bath Rugby as joint ‘Clubs of the Year’ for their community work at the EDF Energy Parliamentary Citizenship Awards on 14 May 2008. He also mentions how Sport England and the RFU could do a better job supporting the community work clubs like Newcastle Falcons are doing, and how the community work done by rugby clubs compares to work by football clubs.
And here’s Andy Reed, MP for Loughborough and member of the All-Party Parliamentary Rugby Union Group, talking about the winners of this year’s Parliamentary Citizenship Awards, Saracens and Bath Rugby, as well as finalists Newcastle Falcons. He also notes how sport can deliver on social agendas–the best practices from these awards can be shared among rugby clubs and in other sports.
Mark McCafferty at the Parliamentary Citizenship Awards
Here’s Mark McCafferty, our Chief Executive, in a video taken following the judging of the 2008 EDF Energy Parliamentary Citizenship Awards. He talks about how far community work has come in the Guinness Premiership, and describes why the judges chose Saracens and Bath as the winners, also offering words of encouragement for finalists Newcastle Falcons.
He also encourages public and private sector groups to look at rugby as a potential community delivery partner, and thanks the All-Party Parliamentary Rugby Union Group for their support of the awards and rugby union in general. Working closely with them and other government bodies has helped align PRL programmes to government objectives.
Presentations from the Parliamentary Citizenship Awards
Here are the presentations that winners Bath Rugby and Saracens gave to the judging panel at this year’s EDF Energy Parliamentary Citizenship Awards.
Bath Rugby:
Saracens:
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About Professional Rugby in the Community
I'm Wayne Morris, Community Manager for Premiership Rugby. This blog is a place for me and the Community Development Officers from around Aviva Premiership Rugby to share the community work our clubs are doing and talk about some of the issues we're trying to solve through sport.
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