The Rugbywise Program

One of the biggest challenges facing society today is how to continue to further the momentum achieved by sport in supporting the delivery of the Government's wider social policy. Competition from other leisure and lifestyle activities presents a number of challenges to the traditional sporting pastimes.

To meet these challenges, rugby has recognised the need to be more inclusive and diverse in its attraction to young people from rural, suburban and urban communities.

In 1994 the RFU, as a leading governing body of sport, recognised that a greater emphasis on its role as a social vehicle of change in the lives of young people and the wider community was required. The Youth Charter became the catalyst for this area of work and over the last 12 years has provided the advocacy, support and a better understanding of the language and culture that exists within the community. This assists, as well as formulates, the RFU's current policy and activity at all levels of the game.

The Youth Charter's work over the last 12 years has included the social coach training and development of the RFU's Rugby Development Officers (RDOs), providing them with the tools to re-enter the inner city communities. This has complemented the social inclusion projects and provided us with invaluable knowledge and experience that has now seen the all-important link made with rugby's grass root development and wider community programmes.

The knowledge and experience gained helped the RFU work towards meeting its future strategic aims and objectives. At the Rugby Leader's Conference, held in April 2006, Inclusive Participation was identified as one of the RFU's key strategic areas.

As a result of this journey to date, the RFU has responded to the challenge of equality, diversity and inclusion in both a pro-active and reactive way, by agreeing to a 1% increase of representation at all levels of the game. The impact of this work will be measured against the equality standard framework for sport and the social inclusion community model now being developed by the Youth Charter.

Rugbywise Equality and Social Inclusion Toolkit Rugby is the most unlikely sporting pastime to engage, motivate and inspire some of the most challenging young people and communities. This Youth Charter toolkit reflecting the Youth Charter’s work in schools, communities and countries locally and globall, provides you with the most comprehensive Governing Body approach to social inclusion programmes and projects from inner city, rural and suburban settings.

Rugbywise Toolkit (Phase 3)

The third phase of the Rugbywise Journey provides the tools to sustain the social development engaged and motivated during the last 12 years. Aimed at those responsible for developing and implementing strategy, this resource is designed to enhance and support the RFU’s social inclusion agenda with a range of tools.

Click here to download the Toolkit



Youth Charter Rugbywise ‘12’ Report

The sport of rugby is not the most identified and popular sporting pastime on the streets of our inner cities. Rugby has however been the most consistent sporting inclusion pastime over the last decade of the Youth Charter’s work.

The Rugbywise ‘12’ report for the first time provides a comprehensive insight as to how Governing bodies can deliver social and grass root development with the performance and excellence culturally and economically evidenced on the rugby pitch and in our communities.