The Rugby Football Foundation

Welcome to the homepage of the Rugby Football Foundation.

The Rugby Football Foundation is a Charitable Trust established by the Rugby Football Union. The purpose of the Rugby Football Foundation is to promote and develop community amateur rugby in England.
The Foundation is responsible for a substantial community rugby programme which includes the provision of rugby development officers, the training and development of referees and the production of coaching and technical material.
The Foundation also administers a Capital Fund for the financing of capital projects aimed at improving facilities which lead to the recruitment and retention of rugby players.
Development of Community Rugby can be summarised as:

More People
Better Places
Access For All
Enjoyment

The RFF has two capital funding streams:

Groundmatch Grant Scheme
Interest Free Loan Scheme

Groundmatch Grant Scheme

Clubs at level 5 and below can apply for between £1500 and £6000 on a matched 50;50 basis for capital works projects that support the retention and recruitment of community rugby players.
Information and an application form for this scheme can be found at the top of the page, in the Groundmatch Grants section, along with guidance notes to completing the form, frequently asked questions, awards to date and a contacts page. Strategic guidance is also available by way of the RFU National Facilities Strategy which addresses key issues when considering facility development in rugby union.
Completed applications will be considered at one of five meetings of the RFF Awards Panel a year. In order for an application to be considered a Groundmatch Grant Scheme application form must be fully completed and submitted, by the advertised closing date, with all the required paperwork to the RFF Administrator at Rugby House. The application will then be reviewed by the Trustees at a panel meeting and the club will be informed of the decision within 7 weeks of the advertised closing date.

Interest Free Loan Scheme

The Interest Free Loan scheme provides up to £100,000 in an interest free loan to capital works to clubs at level 4 and below which contribute to the retention and recruitment of community rugby players.
The Foundation operates a two stage application process for this form of funding within three award cycles. Clubs wishing to apply for this fund should refer to the Loans section of the microsite.

Please address queries to The RFF Administrator, Rugby Football Foundation, Rugby House, Rugby Road, Twickenham, TW1 1DS, by email: foundation@therfu.com or by telephone on 020 8831 7985.

If you wish to donate to the RFF:

Cheques should be made payable to Rugby Football Foundation and sent to
Rugby Football Foundation,
Rugby House
Rugby Road
Twickenham
Middlesex
TW1 1DS
The RFF would prefer donations by cheque however, anyone wishing to donate by another method can email foundation@RFU.com for more information