THE Webb Ellis Cup will go on tour next month as part of the Rugby Football Union’s commitment to offer the game to new people and places.
The four-month-long Sweet Chariot Tour will see the trophy won by the World Champions 2003 visit 290 venues from Cumbria to Cornwall, Northumberland to Kent.
In association with tour sponsors EA Sports, Intercontinental Hotels, Land Rover and Lucozade Sport, the Cup will be present at a range of venues, from 11 shopping centres in cities such as Manchester, Leicester and Bristol to projects in rugby clubs and schools.
In line with the RFU’s commitment to provide an enjoyable and accessible game for more people at all levels from the Zurich Premiership to grassroots, it will also be taken to communities currently under-represented in the sport.
The euphoria of events in Sydney have been backed up by RUGBY – MAKING AN IMPACT – the RFU’s strategic plan to increase participation and retention in playing, coaching, officiating and administration.
Standing for Inclusion, Modernisation, Partnerships, Appropriate facilities, Club/school links and Training and coaching, IMPACT is a blueprint for community rugby in England.
The Cup, along with the RFU’S new Exhibition Unit, will be available to each of the RFU’s 35 Constituent Bodies, who will arrange a programme of rugby activities which will include social inclusion, volunteering and club-school link projects.
England Head Coach Sir Clive Woodward said: “Winning the World Cup has given the whole nation a boost. Taking the Cup around England is a wonderful opportunity to build on the success by encouraging people to get involved in all areas of rugby.
“There is a vast amount of work done by a lot of brilliant people at grassroots level and without that the game just would not develop. It is important that they can now use the Cup for activities that will provide the next generation of England players from existing and new rugby communities.”
Leicester Tigers’ Martin Johnson CBE, England’s World Cup winning captain, said: “We were overwhelmed by the support we received from rugby fans and people new to the sport. Taking the Webb Ellis Cup around the country and the accompanying events will be a great chance to get more people playing and involved in rugby.”
RFU President Robert Horner, who has made social inclusion his theme for his year in office, stressed: “We are particularly keen that the Webb Ellis Cup goes to areas which have previously had little or no contact with rugby and where development work is now taking place. It will not just be used to show off at club dinners – it is far more important that it is used as a magnet to get people involved.”
Terry Burwell, the RFU Community Rugby and Operations Director, added: “We have to make sure that the legacy of 2003 endures into 2023. We now have a unique opportunity with the aid of the Webb Ellis Cup to widen the appeal of the sport to all sections of the community and to build on the momentum for sport in England.
“The victory parade in central London was a great celebration. The Sweet Chariot Tour will give people outside London a chance to see the Webb Ellis Cup but more important it will be the opportunity to take part in the rugby activities provided by volunteers and the RFU’s Rugby Development Officers.
“We will be taking the Webb Ellis Cup to traditional rugby venues and to communities who have never had the opportunity to participate in rugby before.”
Details of the Sweet Chariot Tour will be available online here
The Sweet Chariot Tour
Date Venue
February 15 Arndale Centre, Manchester
February 22 Metro Centre, Gateshead
February 29 Meadowhall, Sheffield
March 6 Twickenham, England v Ireland
March 7 Fosse Park, Leicester
March 14 Castle Mall, Norwich
March 20 Lakeside, Essex
March 21 Bluewater, Kent
April 11 Trago Mills, Bodmin, Cornwall
April 17 Twickenham, Powergen Cup final
April 24 Cribbs Causeway, Bristol
April 21 Newbury RFC, RAF v Army,
April 28 Twickenham, BUSA Students final
May 1 Twickenham, National Emerging Schools Festival/Army v Royal Navy
May 3 Rugby School, Royal & SunAlliance National Under-15 10s Festival
May 8 The Centre, Milton Keynes
May 9 The Harlequin Centre, Watford
May 23 Twickenham, Heineken Cup final
May 30 Twickenham, England v Barbarians
Constituent Body visits
February 5-7 North Midlands
February 8-9 Staffordshire
February 10-11 England Ruby Football Schools Union
February 12 Isle of Man
February 13-14 Cheshire
February 16-18 Lancashire
February 20-21 Cumbria
February 22-23 Northumberland
February 27-28 Durham
February 29-March 3 Yorkshire
March 4-6 Notts, Lincs and Derby Eastern Counties
March 7-8 Leicestershire
March 12-13 East Midlands
March 14-16 Eastern Counties
March 19-20 Essex
March 21-23 Kent
March 28-30 Surrey
April 2-3 Sussex
April 4-5 Hampshire
April 6 Jersey
April 7 Guernsey
April 8-10 Dorset & Wiltshire
April 11-13 Cornwall
April 14 Royal Navy, Lympstone, Plymouth
April 15-16 Devon
April 18-19 Somerset
April 20-21 Berkshire
April 22-24 Gloucestershire
April 25-26 Oxfordshire
April 27-28 Students Rugby Union
May 2-4 Warwickshire
May 5 Oxford University
May 7-8 Buckinghamshire
May 9-10 Hertfordshire
May 12 Cambridge University
May 27-29 Middlesex
RFU - Making an IMPACT Strategy
25,000 adult players have been lost to rugby over the last five years. The RFU is looking to recoup 10,000 in the post-World Cup period with the IMPACT strategy the focus of all activity to increase participation.
By the end of the 2003/4 season there will be:
► 5% increase in the number of players involved in matches each week.
► 150 clubs targeted to ensure that they are able to run additional sides.
► 5% increase in number of players involved in matches each week through player/fixture pools.
► 15% increase in the number of players involved in non-contact rugby i.e touch or tag.
► 20% increase in number of youth and adult teams with a qualified coach.
► 2,000 people qualified as a mini/midi coach/referee.
► 4,000 people qualified as a Foundation referee.
► 200 new secondary schools introduced to rugby
► 2600 club/school links established.
► 227 coaching and refereeing courses delivered for 700 teachers.
► Emerging Schools Festival for up to 40,000 young people will have taken place.
► 30% of sports colleges delivering rugby union to both boys and girls as a core sport in both curriculum and out of school hours.
► 8 FE/6th Form college leagues will be operating.
► 2,000 people trained in the RFU Child Protection programme.
► 100 rugby weeks/festivals, including ‘rugby in the park’ and ‘rugby on the beach’ run in conjunction with Local Authorities.
► 28 additional social inclusion projects to 73 currently running in the RFU’s Constituent Bodies.
► 15% increase in the number of volunteers.
► 20% of clubs will have a club volunteer coordinator. |
