Eastern Counties Rugby Union

MPs and Peers in Parliament have been praising the work being done by the RFU and in clubs, schools, colleges and universities across England to ensure the Rugby World Cup leaves a lasting legacy for grassroots rugby.

Parliamentarians returned to Westminster last week, and Members from all parties have been praising the work being done by the RFU to grow the game in communities across the country.

“It is great to see the Members of Parliament and Lords are backing our legacy plans, and recognising the efforts of those working day in, day out in the field to ensure this Rugby World Cup leaves its mark at the grassroots.”
Ben Calveley

In the House of Commons on Friday the Minister for Sport and Tourism, Tracey Crouch, a regular at her local rugby club Aylesford Bulls, said that she was “delighted that the RFU have put in place detailed plans and earmarked significant resources” to legacy work. She was pleased that the RFU was “spreading the game in schools, especially state schools that have not traditionally played rugby”.

She added that “Tag and touch rugby tournaments aimed at youngsters are becoming incredibly popular” and noted that she sees the enthusiasm for rugby amongst young people in her constituency. She credited the O2 Touch Tour for attracting new people into rugby, and the Unity project for helping us to grow the game across Europe. She closed by saying she was “confident that we will be celebrating the tournament’s legacy well into the future”.

Our local MP for Twickenham, Tania Mathias, who called the debate, told the House that the RFU is doing great things in schools and clubs to grow rugby, and commended programmes such as “Home Turf” and “Try for Change”, and the terrific exhibitions in the World Rugby museum which enrich the lives of people beyond what happens on the pitch.

Legacy work has also attracted the attention of Peers in the Upper House. On Thursday the Minister responsible for sport in the House of Lords, Baroness Neville-Rolfe, said the RFU was working hard “to spread the game’s popularity – notably by improving clubs’ capacity and by offering more young people the opportunity to play rugby.” She described the Lead up and Legacy plan as “excellent” and particularly commended the work being done to reach 130,000 students in state secondary schools last year as part of the All Schools programme.

The Minister added she was passionate about offering women and girls the same opportunities to play rugby, and told her fellow Peers that “England women won the 2014 world cup and the RFU’s women and girls strategy has built on that. Participation is up by a third demonstrating a track record of success.”

Ben Calveley, Head of International and Public Affairs, said: “It is great to see the Members of Parliament and Lords are backing our legacy plans, and recognising the efforts of those working day in, day out in the field to ensure this Rugby World Cup leaves its mark at the grassroots. It is unusual to see MPs and Ministers from different parties agreeing – proof indeed that rugby brings people together!”

Read the full debates on line:
House of Lords

House of Commons