Trailblazing change through social impact

When I look back over my career in sport, there have been many proud moments. However, without a doubt, one of the things I am proudest of is the success of our RLWC2021 Social Impact Programme.

One month ago, we published an independent interim report which tells the story so far of a programme that has created change and delivered positive impact, in spite of significant challenges along the way. On a weekend where we will see amazing athletes compete in two mega sporting events in England it seemed like a good moment to look back and look to the horizon.

Seven years ago, along with the Rugby Football League we set out with an ambition to leave long-lasting outcomes for diverse communities beyond the Rugby League World Cup tournament. The report demonstrates the value of social impact over ‘legacy' and brings to life the incredible power that sport has to make a real, tangible difference.

Of course, there is still more to do and a final report will be published after the tournament winner’s have lifted aloft our three tournament trophies, but to have achieved what we have so far before a ball has been kicked or thrown is just fantastic – and testament to the hard work and commitment of our RLWC2021 team, our partners and supporting organisations.

The beginning of a success story

As the leader of the RLWC2021 tournament, there have been many difficult decisions I have had to make along the way. With the support of the RLWC2021 teammates, we have navigated some exceptionally challenging situations. One of the easiest decisions to make however was the creation of our Social Impact Programme.

From the very earliest discussions, it was very clear in my mind that the World Cup had to be about much more than delivering 61 fixtures across three tournaments. We wanted to make a difference to communities and to go beyond just getting more people participating in the sport of rugby league. No-one told us we needed to do this; we just knew we wanted to be a purpose-led event.

Measuring impact

Right from the start, we recognised we had to be able to demonstrate the tangible impact of our work. With this in mind, we collaborated with UK Sport, Sport England, DCMS and the RFL to appoint consultants - The Sports Consultancy and Substance - to help us on our journey. They developed a ‘theory of change’ model, which gave us a methodology by which to measure the real social benefit of the programme.

Our overarching social impact strategy and objectives centred around people, pride and place:

·      Stimulate physical activity and health

·      Improve mental fitness

·      Develop people

·      Create stronger communities

·      Boost the economy

·      Grow the game internationally

Since its inception in June 2018, social impact and our purpose have remained front and centre of everything we do and now we are really able to assess the true positive impact of this.

Here we are four years later, and it is with immense satisfaction that I am able to share that the results of our work so far have gone beyond our hopes and dreams when we first started out, delivering more than £25.8 million of positive change in communities across the North of England.

The results of the independent report by The Sports Consultancy and Substance, demonstrate the trailblazing work that has been central to the tournament’s purpose and that change is happening right now.

What have we achieved so far?

A lot of our work has been focused on the communities who need it the most. When we started out, our aim was to support the top 30% most deprived areas of the country by IMD. Back then, we had no idea of what additional challenges would hit these communities, and they have been hardest hit by the impact of the pandemic and the cost of living crisis. These communities need our support now more than ever.

Another key focus has been to shine a light on the North of England. We received £15m in funding for the tournament, linked to the Government’s ‘Levelling Up’ agenda. As part of this, we committed to hosting 80% of our events in the North and I’m proud to say we have delivered this.

Government funding also included an additional £10m extra capital investment for facilities and infrastructure, to be injected into community rugby league clubs within those most deprived areas. This has enabled more people to connect and take part in physical activity by transforming clubs into hubs of their communities.

Diversity and inclusion has also been at the heart of everything we do, and our Volunteering Programmes have created life-changing opportunities for people from a wide range of backgrounds and personal situations. In partnership with Community Integrated Care – one of the largest social care charities in the UK – we have helped overcome barriers and enabled volunteers to make a positive contribution to their community.

These are just a few of the initiatives that have formed part of our Social Impact Programme, with many more examples detailed in the report.

The final countdown

As we approach the ’50 Days to Go’ milestone, it provides an opportunity to reflect not just over the learnings and the successes of our work so far, but to take stock of what we still need to deliver.

Under our CreatedBy Capital Grants Programme, twelve significant new / refurbished large grant facility projects will be completed and opened this year.

Through our Ahead of the Game partnership with Movember, we will deliver mental fitness workshops for competing teams and match officials, culminating in a Mental Fitness Match Day on Saturday 5th November at Wigan’s DW Stadium.

We will continue to nurture our volunteer programme; 1,100 people will be trained to volunteer at the tournament, 250 Community Volunteers will be in roles in community rugby league and 250 people with support needs will volunteer at the tournament.

As well as reflecting, it is also important to appreciate the support we have received to date. We have been given incredible backing from our board, funding partners such as the National Lottery and the RFL and I would like to take a moment to thank everyone who has been involved for their help in making all this possible. 

I am very proud of all that we have accomplished so far, and I am incredibly excited to see what else we can still deliver before we hand the baton over to the great sport of rugby league.