"Thousands of volunteers have run hundreds of recruitment events throughout the country and the imagination and dedication they have brought to the campaign will make a lasting impact on all levels of the game.

"It’s a fantastic achievement and the campaign isn’t finished yet."

Go Play Rugby, launched at the England training camp in the build up to the Rugby World Cup this summer, is designed to reach out to potential players and equip clubs with the resources to recruit them. So far:

Two million of our target audience have watched Go Play Rugby advertising in cinemas
300 radio and TV stations with an audience of more than 36m have covered the campaign.
20,000 people have searched for places to play on the www.goplayrugby.com website or texted their postcode to 64411 to find their nearest club.
1.6 million resources – including business cards, beermats and posters – have been distributed to club teams around the country
300 Go Play Rugby events have taken place, ranging from beach rugby tournaments to World Cup parties
There are some outstanding examples of clubs who have recruited entire teams since the campaign got underway in August.

Tonbridge Juddians have picked up 18 new players and took advantage of a major opportunity when the Tour De France rolled through Kent in July.

"There were thousands of people out there and a great atmosphere. We had an RFU exhibition unit, kicking cage and bungee run in the local park and were able to spread the word," said Juddians' John Beasley.

"It's surprising what's there on your doorstep if you go out and ask people. In the past maybe people didn't make the effort to go out and get them.

Corsham in Wiltshire recruited 20 new adult players of all abilities and ages, and launched a third team that has already taken the field.

They started out by hiring their own market stall (selling 'ruck cakes', of all things) attended fetes, placed promotional material in pubs, newsagents and takeaways.

Their major event was a South African 'braai' on the night of England v South Africa that was publicised on local radio and included a surfing simulator for visitors to try out.

"The Go Play Rugby campaign has given clubs a bit of a kick with ideas and incentives and we've bought into it, gone out and done it," said Russell. "If you put a committed group of people together, you can do it."

Windsor are another side to recruit new blood, fielding two veterans teams and hosting another 10 at a festival they hosted last month.

"Since August we've picked up about 20 new players and the season’s only really just started," said Cullen.

Old Patesians in Gloucestershire were involved in the filming of the Go Play Rugby cinema ad in August and the campaign helped them pick up more than 25 new players.

"A good proportion of these have come from website activity as a result of players getting our name after inputting their postcode to the Go Play Rugby text number," he said. "It’s a fantastic result."

Go Play Rugby is a £1million campaign, supported through a £500,000 grant from the National Sports Foundation that backs up investment of £300,000 from the Rugby Football Foundation and £200,000 from Go Play Rugby sponsors the Chelsea Building Society. England Rugby sponsors O2 are also supporting the project.