Rugby club in Luton breaking barriers preventing disadvantaged children getting into the sport
Stockwood Park Rugby Football Club has partnered with a brand-new charity
A rugby club in Luton is working to break down barriers preventing children living in poverty getting into the sport with the help of a new charity.
Stockwood Park Rugby Football Club (SPRFC) has partnered with The Community Rugby Trust which has already delivered sessions to more than 1,200 children across eight local schools.
The Trust, based in Luton, will be helping some of the most disadvantaged areas of the town and encouraging them to consider taking up rugby at Stockwood.
It will also be helping families with the costs of membership and the provision of kit, such as boots and gumshields.
Alistair Body, Chair of The Community Rugby Trust said: "We spoke to a family who wanted to bring their daughter to play rugby. We asked if the child had some boots, rugby boots or football boots, and the answer was no.
“The only shoes this particular individual had was school shoes.”
Adding: “The whole purpose of the charity is to try and make rugby a lot more accessible to the community and get those playing rugby a lot more representative of the Luton community and the surroundings where the rugby club is based”.
The approach alongside donations from several businesses will see rugby being taught in taught in schools across the town on a regular and ongoing basis.
“We're seeing approximately 4% of the children from schools coming up and starting to play rugby, which is fantastic.
“Then when you look at those numbers, the individuals that are coming up and the demographics; it's much much more representative of the community which we actually live in”, Mr Body said.
A spokesperson for Stockwood Park RFC says it “could not be prouder to be associated with such an incredible project”.
Adding: “We know the wealth of untapped talent waiting for the opportunity to play a sport that delivers teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship in Luton.”