ChildFund Rugby Updates - July 2024

Banner photo: Pass It Back players in Tanambe, Madagascar celebrating their End of Season Competition with their Coach. 

HSBC SVNS SERIES

We were thrilled to see the first year of the HSBC SVNS Series come to an incredible end in Madrid! Congratulations to all the teams for making the Series an unforgettable one, and to all those teams pushing for a place on the Series.As World Rugby's Social Impact Partner, ChildFund Rugby is proud to be part of the #HSBCSVNS series. Thank you to the global rugby family for supporting rugby as a vehicle for social impact around the world, and we can’t wait until kick-off all over again in December!

CHILDFUND RUGBY AMBASSADORS

We are thrilled to share ChildFund Rugby’s newest Ambassadors!

Duke Krishnan  Originating from Sungai Petani, Malaysia, Dinesvaran “Duke” Krishnan rose from local rugby to international leagues with Yamaha Júbilo in Japan, the Chicago Hounds in the USA, and he now plays for the Royal Malaysia Police team. 

Understanding the profound impact rugby has had on his life, Duke hopes to give back to his community and grow the sport in his country.

Jessy Trémoulière A former French national team player, both in 15s (73 caps) and sevens (23), Jessy was honoured as World Rugby Women's Player of the Year in 2018 and Women's 15s Player of the Decade in 2020.

Although retired from her rugby career, Jessy continues to be a role model, dedicated to making a positive impact off the field. 

Coumba Diallo Coumba represented France at the 2014 Rugby World Cup and was part of the squad that won a fourth Six Nations title in 2014. She currently plays and works for Stade Francais Paris and is a TV commentator. 

Coumba firmly believes that rugby can play a significant role in daily life, serving as a vital tool for empowerment and she aims to use her experiences to inspire girls and women globally.

PARTNERSHIPS HIGHLIGHTS

Philippine Rugby Football Union - Philippines  Coaches in three locations finished their first season of Pass It Back - Understanding Gender in June. 39 young Coaches led 534 players (51% female) through 16 sessions of learning, focusing on identifying gender inequalities in daily life, and positive actions that can be taken in solidarity with teammates and other young people. In addition, Pass It Back Coaches are working to register 2 new clubs in Philippines and have participated in ongoing workshops over the past 6 months, building their financial management, fundraising, safeguarding and inclusion muscles to create strong and healthy clubs. We look forward to cheering the new clubs on as they join the Philippines rugby family in the coming year!

Malagasy Rugby - Madagascar  A Pass It Back pilot in Madagascar concluded with an exciting competition in Tanambe! With more than 50% female participation across 14 coaches and 29 teams, the first season in this rugby nation was an exciting opportunity to introduce rugby and life skills at the grassroots level.  This was done in close collaboration with the Union and a district club in a remote part of the country. This is also the first time a Union in Africa has delivered Pass It Back directly. We look forward to sharing impact data from the season in the next newsletter! Get into Rugby PLUS - Fiji and Samoa In early July, Get into Rugby PLUS Fiji celebrated IDADAIT (International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking) Week, reinforcing how everyone has a role to play in reducing violence by upholding key values including respect, and how seeking support when in need is critical.  In April, ChildFund Rugby spent a week with a colleague from Oceania Rugby to explore opportunities around upcoming major events in Australia, to maximise the social impact of rugby across the region! We look forward to sharing more soon. Türkiye Ragbi Federasyonu - Türkiye To date, two successful seasons of Pass It Back Recovery have been delivered. 32 Coach accreditations, 471 integrated rugby and life skills sessions, and 2 competitions have been delivered. Across the 2 seasons, there were 857 player registrations - 56% of them female. Data from the first two seasons shows that two in three players improved their life skills learning and the work, with strong female engagement, attracted significant community interest leading to Türkiye Ragbi Federasyonu winning a national  Social Responsibility Project Award  presented by the Ministry of Youth and Sports and Ülke TV. This partnership has seen rugby recognised by Government as a sport committed to supporting community development, even in the most challenging circumstances.   Rugby for Good - Hong Kong, China ChildFund Rugby is working with Rugby for Good, Hong Kong China Rugby’s Official Charity. The collaboration is to support uplifts to existing Tackling Language and Jockey Club Rugby United projects to ensure monitoring and evaluation tools, success indicators and protocols are fit for purpose and future growth. We look forward to working with the team! New South Wales, Rugby for Good - Australia In early June, 14 New South Wales Pass It Back Coaches concluded their first season of rugby and life skills learning with teams across Western Sydney. ChildFund Rugby has been excited to partner with NSW Rugby to support access to rugby for communities new to the sport ,and also to see opportunities to learn and practice critical social and emotional skills being made available. Thanks to NSW Rugby for their partnership and we look forward to sharing impact data and learning from this first season!

NSW Rugby Pass It Back Coaches at the End of Season Gala Day.

ZAINAB 'ZEE' ALEMA VISITS PASS IT BACK IN ADIYAMAN, TURKIYE

As part of community engagement hosted by Türkiye Ragbi Federasyonu, Pass It Back Coaches and players in Adıyaman were excited to welcome  Zainab 'Zee' Alema  to Türkiye in June.  Zee, currently playing with Richmond Rugby, visited Adıyaman to celebrate the great work of young Pass It Back Coaches, and to share her experiences of playing rugby wearing a hijab. On her Social Media, Zee shared: “One of my highlights of my trip was meeting the 'Rugby Mums’, a group of women whose children were involved in Pass It Back - they were full of life and energy despite their circumstances after the earthquake. We got to chuck a rugby ball around and I'm convinced they could start their own team!  “Using Rugby to create positive social impact will always be a passion of mine - rugby truly is a beautiful game and I'm so grateful to meet so many amazing people learning through Pass It Pack in Türkiye.” Zee inspired young players and community members in Türkiye with her journey to the pitch and her goals for her own rugby career. We are proud to have Zee’s support for Pass It Back, and look forward to cheering her on at Richmond and beyond!

Zee and TRF’s Pass It Back staff and players in Adiyaman, Turkiye.

GRASSROOTS TO GLOBAL LEADERS NAMED WOMEN IN RUGBY LEADERSHIP SCHOLARS

We are thrilled to congratulate six Grassroots to Global leaders from 2022: Hatice Kubra Yilmaz (Türkiye), Harriet Kate Tuara (Cook Islands), Paola Rodríguez Escobedo (Mexico), Nour Khaled (Tunisia), Menna Sedky (Egypt), and Danielle Phillips (Barbados) for being announced as Women in Rugby leadership scholars by  World Rugby  and  Capgemini  in May.  Alongside other inspiring female leaders from around the world, they will participate in the Capgemini Women in Rugby Leadership Programme in 2024 and 2025. The program aims to drive female leaders’ visibility within the rugby community and accelerate the development of the women’s and girls’ game, all in the lead-up to the Women’s  Rugby World Cup  2025. Read more  here .

GRASSROOTS TO GLOBAL 2025

Grassroots to Global is part of a global Social Impact Partnership between ChildFund Rugby and World Rugby. It is a flagship programme that brings together female community leaders from across the world to build their networks and drive social change through rugby. In celebration of Women’s Rugby World Cup England 2025, the transformational partnership is seeking to support National Governing Bodies globally to host national community leadership forums, which will feed into a global forum, Grassroots to Global Connect, across the week of the tournament’s opening match in Sunderland. During this event, leaders will build critical skills, connect and learn from peers, and develop and pitch project proposals to deliver initiatives that will bring in, and retain, more women into community coaching around the world. Series coordinators will be connecting with past Grassroots to Global hosts and interested Unions throughout this next quarter to collect expressions of interest and begin organisation of national Grassroots to Global Forums, as we head towards 2025.

CHILDFUND RUGBY SUPPORTS RUGBY AFRICA SPORTS MANAGEMENT TRAINING PROGRAM

ChildFund Rugby is proud to support Rugby Africa’s Sports Management Training Program, a course delivered by Rugby Africa in conjunction with  LUNEX  - Higher Education Institution specialised in Health, Sports and Management.  Through a number of workshops, ChildFund Rugby supported participants to strengthen safeguarding practices and to build skills to monitor and evaluate projects, with a focus on those engaging girls and women. ChildFund Rugby team members are continuing to mentor Union colleagues participating in the course as they finish their project proposals to bolster women’s rugby in their respective Unions. Thanks to Rugby Africa for having us, and the best of luck to all participants on the course!

HONG KONG SPORT AND SUSTAINABILITY SUMMIT

Congratulations to the organisers of the inaugural Hong Kong Sport and Sustainability Summit, which took place in Hong Kong, China around the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong SVNS! Bringing together leaders, decision makers, and passionate individuals, the event created a much needed platform for exploration of the potential for sport to deliver positive social and environmental outcomes.  ChildFund Rugby was honoured to be part of the summit as a panel speaker, sharing our global experience as  World Rugby ’s Social Impact Partner, and as a partner to National Governing Bodies around the world. We look forward to the next event! Thanks to  Laureus  ,  Hong Kong China Rugby 中國香港欖球總會  ,  Rugby For Good 橄欖成長基金  and  Brand Hong Kong  for bringing everyone together! 

WORLD RUGBY CELEBRATED WORLD REFUGEE DAY

On World Refugee Day, World Rugby signed the Joint Sport Pledge on Sport for Inclusion and Protection, aiming to benefit displaced persons and their host communities. Through its existing sport for development partnerships, including a partnership with ChildFund Rugby, World Rugby commits to strengthen its sport offer in displacement contexts. Pass It Back, an integrated rugby and life skills learning initiative developed by ChildFund Rugby and led by Türkiye Ragbi Federasyonu, provides safe spaces and support networks for children affected by last year's earthquakes. Read more  here . 

EQUIPMENT SUPPORT

Thanks to W Rugby, Tsunami and DHL Express for ensuring Pass It Back Türkiye had access to equipment. From balls and playing kit, to sports hijabs, the ChildFund Rugby community has poured in support for the Pass It Back Coaches and players in Adıyaman. There was a 55% increase in female participation from Pass It Back season 1 to season 2, seeing higher percentages of girls getting involved in rugby compare to any other sport in the province. Alongside an overwhelming interest and excitement from the community for girls rugby, a need for sports hijabs emerged as many girls played rugby for the first time. Thanks for all your work to make this possible! 

INAUGURAL INTERNATIONAL DAY OF PLAY 11 JUNE, 2024

On 11 June 2024, we celebrated the first ever International Day of Play. The day marks the important role of play and its potential to foster connections, and essential social and emotional skills. Sport can be a critical part of play. ChildFund Rugby partners with National Governing Bodies worldwide to provide children and youth opportunities to play, learn, and become leaders through rugby. 

PASS IT BACK EXPLAINER

Wants to know more about Pass It Back? Check out  this video  to learn more about how Coaches support the delivery of life skills learning through rugby!  

MEET OUR TEAM

In this edition, we introduce our Regional Partnership Coordinator, Shilo Shalosky ! Based in Philadelphia, USA, Shilo currently supports a number of ChildFund Rugby’s partnership, as well as scoping new partnerships across the Americas. With 16 years of rugby experience, Shilo is also a certified coach and referee!  Recently, Shilo was selected as a delegate for the 2024 International Sports Programming Initiative in Tonga, through the US State Department.