Alaina Allen Beccehamian Ladies Winger   An honest, reliable and positive role model for black females in rugby, Alaina is looking forward to giving back to the local community.

Margaret Alphonsi England Women Centre   Maggie is keen to promote rugby to young people, ethnic minorities, women and people from disadvantaged background, and fully believes that “everything in life is achievable depending on how much you want it!”

Susie Appleby England Women Scrumhalf   Rugby is “a game that everybody can play that is an enormous amount of fun. It’s all about enjoying yourself, making friends and feeling good about yourself.”

Malcolm Baker RFUW East Senior Women’s Manager   “Rugby is now on the brink of full national recognition. The World Cup has turned heads so now we need to make sure the bubble does not burst. Involve every colour, creed, sex and ability.”

Chris Burns RFU Competitions Manager   “Surrounding the game [of rugby] itself is a social structure of fun and mutual support. When I had my injury, the way people rallied round was typical of what makes the sport special.”

Glenn Cairns Hampshire County Youth Chairman   In addition to being a Rugby Ambassador, Glenn wears many hats, including his role as a National Child Welfare Officer for the RFU promoting best practice, diversity and social inclusion for under-represented groups.

Ed De Lucy England Deaf RU Head of Communications   “Now is the best time ever in the game as exposure will be high and more and more people will want to play the game.”

Maxine Edwards England Women Prop & Captain   Maxine has overcome misconceptions that women “weren’t serious or very good at the sport” to Captain the England Women’s Team.

Kathryn Essex RFUW England Student Manager   “Rugby Union is becoming more inclusive all the time and is becoming a game for all, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity and sexuality.”

Steve Gibbs Stevenage Town RFC Veterans Youth Coach   “I believe in the great ‘codes’ of rugby: fairness, sportsmanship and equality. I aim to make rugby fully inclusive for all.”

Mitchell Hulme England U18’s Captain   Rugby “is an exciting physical team game for boys, girls, men and women of all shapes and sizes, ability, speed, disability and nationality. I enjoy the team spirit and respect… involved.”

Thomas Manu   As someone who sets high standards for himself and demonstrates a great deal of motivation, Thomas believes that it’s these qualities that will help him continue to work well with children from all areas.

Giselle Mather Wasps Ladies Coach   Giselle has an infectious passion and enthusiasm for the game and all it has to offer.  “Rugby is not just a game; it gets into your blood and becomes a way of life!”

Shelley Rae England Women Flyhalf   As an Ambassador and England player, Shelley hopes to show everyone how much rugby has to offer. “Kids look up to players in the top 30 in the country and I want to help improve them and keep the future of English rugby in good hands.”

Sarah Reynolds Camp Hill WRFC Player & Coach   Sarah believes that inclusion should not only incorporate “any person regardless of race, social position, disability or gender who would like to play the sport, but also all the people who are able to aid the running of any club or team.”

David Rose RFU Midlands Rugby Development Officer   Having worked in inner cities and abroad, David has a deep understanding of… why it’s so important to make [rugby] more appealing to different cultures. Rugby is “an exciting game played with high passion, good skills, bravery and humility.”

Rob Smith GB Wheelchair Rugby Dev. Squad   “This is a great time to be involved… with the opportunity to bring Union to new people from increased interest… I am very keen to see inclusion between rugby and wheelchair rugby as both can benefit greatly from each other.”

Robin Tarr GB Wheelchair Rugby Captain   After a car accident in 1981 Robin later found wheelchair rugby. “Although it is very different to able bodied rugby, the team spirit, aggression and will to win are much the same.”

Helen Thew England Deaf Rugby Union women’s development   Helen feels that she can “show deaf and hard of hearing youth that they can play rugby within mainstream teams, as well as in deaf teams… and encourage young deaf people to become active members of society.”

Joanne Yapp England Women Scrumhalf   As England scrum-half, Jo sets a fantastic example of how to behave on and off the field, and feels that “more so than ever rugby is becoming a game that is open to everyone.”

For more information on the Rugby Ambassador Programme, please contact Steve Farr, RFU Ethics & Equity Manager at stevefarr@rfu.com or 020 8831 7479.