IN LEAGUE TOGETHER newsletter ISSUE 5 | MAY 09 RFL Launch stonewall Stonewall charter Diversity Champions We, the undersigned Rugby Football League club, have agreed to work with the RFL and Stonewall to challenge programme homophobia and work together to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for lesbian, gay and bisexual people at matches and all aspects of club life. Bradford Bulls Peter Hood (Chairman) Ryan Duckett (General Manager) Castleford Tigers Richard Wright (CEO) Celtic Crusaders Anthony Seibold (Football Manager) Harlequins RL A very successful Rugby league launch of the Stonewall Petra Walsh (Operations Manager) Diversity Champions programme took place at the Bradford Huddersfield Giants Bulls vs. Hull FC match on Sunday 15th March. The event Richard Thewlis (Managing Director) was attended by Richard Lewis and Sarah Williams (RFL), Peter Hood (Bradford Bulls), Gerry Sutcliffe (MP and Minister Hull FC of Sport) and Dave Small (Stonewall) (pictured above) as well James Rule (Chief Executive) as representatives from local Lesbian Gay Bisexual (LGB) Hull KR organisations and statutory and voluntary organisations such Neil M Hudgell (Chairman) as Bradford and Leeds Councils and West Yorkshire Police. The launch was also an opportunity to showcase work taking Leeds Rhinos place in the game which involves and includes LGB people Gary Hetherington (CEO) both as employees, players, coaches, fans, club staff Salford City Reds and volunteers; David Tarry (CEO) • LGBT employees forum open to all RFL and club St Helens employees and volunteers, players, coaches, match Tony Colquitt (Chief Executive) officials and other support staff Wakefield Trinity Wildcats • LGBT fans forum run by Bradford Mesmac Francis Stephenson (General Manager) • Stonewall charter signed by all 13 of the British Super John Kear (Coach) League clubs Warrington Wolves • Information packs provided by Stonewall sent to all 34 Andrew Gatcliffe (CEO) professional clubs - there are still some more packs Wigan Warriors available if any community clubs would like them Ian Lenagan (Chairman) As a result of this early work several clubs have made a Mick Hogan (Chief Executive) commitment to work with the LGB communities - Salford Statements from Clubs: City Reds have further strengthened their links to the local LGBT community and Pride Sports and will be attending the Salford “We are working in this area via community teams.” Manchester Pride games as well as other planned activities Wakefield “The Wildcats are happy to support The and Halifax RLFC will be attending the first Calderdale Stonewall Diveristy Champions Project and look forward Pride event, other clubs are in the early stages of setting up to being involved in achieving this initiatives aims. This partnerships with their local LGBT communities. partnership complements our existing community activity If your club would like to engage with your local LGBT whilst reinforcing our established social inclusion policy.” community please contact Sarah Williams who will be Warrington “As always we are happy to support projects happy to facilitate links, partnerships and support plans to work together. of this nature. The project will interface with Equality and Diversity Policy already in place at Warrington Wolves.” P1 newsletter ISSUE 5 | MAY 09 RFL now has 12 trained audio Federation of Disability commentators! Sports Organisations Following our search for audio commentators the RFL are delighted awards evening to say that on Sunday 19th April twelve volunteers attended a full day Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) training to become audio commentators. The session was facilitated by Harvey Wiles, pictured above, who said the day was hugely successful with a very high standard of audio commentary already achieved. Those who attended are now able to offer their services to local clubs and centrally organised matches such as Magic Weekend. If your club would like to know more about audio commentary equipment or would like the contact details of the audio commentators, who are based throughout the UK, including South Wales and London please contact Rugby League swept the board at the Federation of Disability Sarah Williams. At club level in the last few days we have Sports Yorkshire awards on Friday 20th March winning five linked audio commentators to Halifax, Hull and Warrington awards. At the celebratory evening held at Elland Road, Gill clubs and look forward to offering this service across many more clubs in the near future. Johnson spoke about the incredible hard work and dedication from players, coaches, match officials and other team support Celtic Crusaders coaching which led to the Wheelchair Tag Rugby Team winning the disabled children World Cup in Australia. At the awards evening the RFL were awarded the Cyril Villiers governing body award for the second year running in recognition of the work the governing body is Celtic Crusaders have ventured doing to make the game more accessible to disabled people. into a partnership 14 year old Harrison Brown, a key member of the wheelchair with two Special team as well as other wheelchair sports, won the award for Educational Young Achiever (boy category) . Andy Atkinson won a Special Needs schools in Bridgend by Award to recognise his hard work in promoting and playing the offering Rugby League coaching sessions for forty children. sport. The Regan Cooper Team of the Year award went to the The disability pilot project has been put together as a England Wheelchair team and finally the Baroness Masham new drive in partnership with the Disability Sport Wales Excellence in Wheelchair Sport went to the player of the World programme within the Local Authority. Cup tournament Andrew Wharton. Well done to everyone Three weekly sessions have been put together at both involved in wheelchair tag rugby! Ysgol Bryn Castell and Heronsbridge schools, with twenty pupils from each school being put through their paces by the Celtic Crusaders community coaching staff. The sessions will enable the students to experience the different elements of Rugby League as well as being offered an insight into one of the most popular competitions in the UK. Disability Sport Wales Development Officer, Huw Griffiths said “This is a great chance for all the pupils to experience a new sport and join in the excitement of the Super League coming to South Wales, in particular Bridgend. The Celtic Crusaders have been extremely supportive in providing these opportunities and it is hoped that it is a partnership that will continue to flourish”. P2 newsletter ISSUE 5 | MAY 09 RFL working to include deaf and hearing impaired communities RFL coach Tom Allen attended NDCS also completed filming the top 50 rugby terms in British the National Deaf Children’s Sign Language at the Harlequins featuring players Tony Clubb, Sports (NDCS) event at John Will Sharp, Luke May and Ben Kaye. This resource will be Charles Centre for Sport to available to download shortly. We hope more people who are coach rugby skills to young deaf or have a hearing impairment will consider getting involved deaf children. It was a hugely in Rugby League and the RFL will support clubs to meet the successful event with the communication needs of deaf players, coaches and staff. young people particularly Finally the RFL coaching department plan to offer one signed enjoying the rugby league Level 1 coaching course per year, if you know anyone from the element to the day. We hope to take part in further events and to deaf community that would like to train as a Rugby League work with NDCS on further projects. coach please contact Arvinder at RFL [email protected] Bringing people together in Salford On Friday the 24th April Eccles College in association with Folly Lane ARLFC and Salford City Reds Foundation hosted a rugby league festival. The festival, organised by Val Wakefield of Folly Lane, was an extremely inclusive day of workshops and demonstrations. With students from Chatsworth High School a special educational needs picture from Huddersfield school playing alongside students from St John’s RC Primary in Chorlton as well as students from Eccles College. BME History Project The students were also given the chance to try their hand moving forward! at Wheelchair rugby league as England Wheelchair Rugby League players and coach Phil Roberts were on hand to We are delighted to say that a number of individual clubs as well coach and demonstrate their sport to all the students who as Playing for Success centres at Wakefield Wildcats, Halifax attended, even players from Salford City Reds academy and RLFC and Huddersfield Giants have taken the lead in this exciting initiative and are working together to create profiles of past and Reds stars Phil Leuluai, Jack Spencer and Lewis Palfrey had present BME players, coaches, match officials, club staff and a go. The festival was a great success and gave coaches and volunteers of both professional and community clubs. We plan students alike the opportunity to see how inclusive a sport to launch this project in time for Black History Month in October rugby league really is. 2009 offering web based resources covering each individuals The coaching delivered by Tony Griffin, Folly Lane, and personal and family biography, their Rugby League biography as demonstrations from young Folly players and Reds academy well as reasons why they got involved in the sport in the players where a great showcase of the skill needed to play first instance. rugby league. It was also great to see students of mixed We still need clubs to get involved so that we can put together abilities working together and even better still, rugby league a comprehensive collection of resources celebrating BME was the sport being used to bring people together that involvement across the game. If your club would like to get normally wouldn’t cross paths. involved please contact Sarah Williams who will put you in touch with other clubs and researchers that could help and support your work.