Sir Bill Beaumont was among a host of former rugby greats who gathered to give the
British and Irish Lions a good luck send-off ahead of their tour to Australia.
The former English Grand Slam winning captain, former head of World Rugby, and
now interim chair of the Rugby Football Union, was among several ex-Lions players
picked out on our TV screens during the Lions final warm-up game against
Argentina.
But as the Lions now prepare for their crunch First Test on their tour Down Under on
Saturday, what TV viewers are less likely to know about Beaumont is the way he is
helping to inspire people of all ages, shapes, sizes, and abilities to get into rugby in
his native Lancashire, in a community-focused model learned from the French.
It was on a trip to La Rochelle watching his son Josh’s Sale Sharks side that
Beaumont and friend David Craven were struck by how the whole community of La
Rochelle was so involved and intertwined with the rugby club.
“We came back to England wanting to do something about that here,” said David.
They set up the Fylde Rugby Community Foundation, with the principle at its core to
open the game up to everyone – especially those whose life circumstances wouldn’t
have previously been able to get involved with rugby.
“We needed to make sure that this was a genuine community initiative – giving
opportunities to kids, and adults, who would not usually have had access to rugby,”
said David.
Despite the Fylde name of Beaumont’s hometown club, they were also at pains to
make sure the charity initiative was independent of one club, and about the whole of
The Fylde Coast – and beyond – embracing other rugby clubs such as Fleetwood
and Garstang.
Set up in 2020 with one employee, Phill Mills, the Fylde Rugby Community Foundation
has achieved amazing success.
Now with nine staff, Beaumont as President, David as Chairman and Phill having
progressed from Rugby Coach to Director of the Foundation, the charity is delivering
curriculum rugby in 12 of the 18 secondary schools, and 88 of the 101 primary schools, across
Blackpool, Fylde, Wyre. “It’s growing all the time,” said David who is proud of the inclusivity
and results they are achieving.
There’s a Mentoring and Rugby programme engaging kids who are ‘at risk’ of anti-
social behaviour or that are truanting to get back into education and a Rugby
Reading Champions programme, sponsored by BAE Systems, which works with the
National Literacy Trust to engage young people through the enjoyment of rugby and
sport.
Last week at Fylde, 250 kids aged 9-11, from 15 schools took part in an end-of-year
festival – where they met author Dave Brayley and took part in motivational
sessions, and got to visit a mobile BAE Systems exhibition to inspire them about a
range of careers.
When it comes to the game itself, the charity organises rugby camps for young
people, wheelchair rugby, touch rugby, and rugby across the whole of Lancashire for
young people with moderate or severe learning difficulties, walking rugby for the over
50s, with activities at Fylde, Warton, Blackpool and Garstang – to get people into,
(or back into), the sport with all the physical, mental and social benefits that brings.
David said: “Rugby is a game devised for all shapes and sizes. This makes it a game
everyone can get involved in which is why it’s an ideal sport for the whole
community.
“We want to break down all barriers and give everyone access to rugby with its
meaningful values of Teamwork, Respect, Discipline, Sportsmanship and
Enjoyment.”
That includes funding to ensure that cost is no barrier to playing the game. There’s a
pathway programme – with funding to pay for boots or kit. National Lottery and
England Rugby are among the funding bodies who support the charity.
Wooden Spoon, the children’s charity of rugby, also helps give financial support to
those who wouldn’t otherwise have funds.
“We want to make sure that financial circumstances is never a barrier preventing
anyone from enjoying being involved in the rugby community,” said David.
Accountants Brown & Co support the foundation with pro-active expert advice, which
enables the charity to concentrate on delivering its objectives.
“Literally thousands of children across Blackpool, Wyre and Fylde are getting into
rugby who wouldn’t have otherwise,” said David,
There are many inspiring personal stories. “We have kids attending lessons at
school now who weren’t before. We have had people who had been self-harming
now on a different path.
“Some of them have got into rugby. We’ve had one 15-year-old who had never
played rugby before just win player of the season in their age group who now has
development opportunities with Sale Sharks.
“The charity is also having knock on benefits to clubs and their wider communities.
Fleetwood U14s have gone from having nine players to 41 players – which is helping
to ensure those clubs are sustainable and have a bright future.”
“What we are starting to achieve is connecting Fylde, Garstang and Fleetwood rugby
clubs with their communities and vice versa and this is already having a really
positive benefit in so many ways for the participants, the rugby clubs, schools and
indeed the wider communities.”
The foundation is happy to share its model, learnings, business plan and operating
details to spread the opportunities further afield and support them with the set-up of
their own Foundation and Phill Mills is very happy to hear from other rugby clubs
who might like to know more about their model.