Rwc2015 Rugby Youth Partnership Announced

On the tenth anniversary of England’s Rugby World Cup win in 2003, school children across the country will be given a chance to be part of the 2015 edition with the formation of a new youth partnership involving England 2015, the Rugby Football Union, and Youth Sport Trust.

The trio are developing a programme to target secondary school children with a range of activities during the build-up to the tournament.

This programme will include:

• School Rugby Ambassadors – young people across the country will be selected to become School Rugby Ambassadors and will take a leading role in promoting rugby and RWC 2015 with their peers in school by organising events to mark the important tournament milestones. This programme will be formally launched at the Youth Sport Trust’s national conference in February 2014

• School Resource Pack – a group of teachers drawn from across the country has begun work this month to develop a teaching resource pack that will be available from summer 2014. The new resources will help teachers and students use rugby union as a tool right across school and celebrate the sport in the run up to and during RWC 2015

• Welcome Ceremonies – working with the Youth Sport Trust to identify local school pupils to welcome people to the tournament. This will be another opportunity for young people to learn about the history and culture of the teams, and bring a flavour of the local area to Rugby World Cup 2015

Chief Executive of England 2015, Debbie Jevans, said of the partnership: ‘Through this partnership we want to involve and engage young people in RWC 2015 and help spread the excitement around the country as we build towards the tournament. We want them to play an important role in welcoming the world to this proud rugby nation and this initiative will give an excellent opportunity for fans, players and visitors to interact with schools and the local community.’

England 2015 ambassador, Will Greenwood, added: ‘I want RWC 2015 to act as a catalyst to get more young people involved in rugby and this partnership is an excellent way to help spread the word. I hope that it will spur on all young people involved to find out about what their local rugby club can offer in terms of a community and a support base.’

RFU Rugby Development Director Steve Grainger commented: ‘We are very pleased to announce that we will be working alongside the Youth Sport Trust and England 2015 on such an exciting project to help us raise awareness of rugby union in schools and inspire more young people to play the game. Our aim is to help them feel part of the excitement that hosting RWC 2015 will bring to this country and to have a real connection to the sport in the build-up to the tournament.’  

‘The RFU has a strong relationship with the Youth Sport Trust and this is an opportunity to involve them and their considerable experience of working with schools to change young people’s lives through sport.’

England 2015 celebrated the two years to go mark until kick off to the Rugby World Cup in September.