The Leamington RFC School's Programme has been and still is a tremendous success. So say club officials, the England RFU, Warwickshire RFU, local schools governing bodies and most importantly of all, the many hundreds of students who have taken part over the last eight years since we started.

We don't just want that success to continue, we want it to develop.

We need help from a local sponsor/ partner in our future plans to develop the programme to cover even more schools and even more young students and help them get involved in more active participation in a major high profile and growing sport.

In an age where everywhere we turn we see or hear about how young people today are inactive, overweight and unhealthy, it's very satisfying and rewarding to be part of an ongoing initiative aimed at redressing many of those negative statements.

The Leamington RUFC Schools Programme is:-
-Entering its 17th year
-Run entirely by unpaid (but qualified) volunteers
-Getting bigger (and better) every year.

It has developed a very high profile in many (most) local schools and is now part of their annual calendar. And as a result, to date over 1,500 local students, both boys and girls have started playing rugby, with many going on to play both in their senior schools and at a local club side. The ongoing opportunities for the students are impressive. We have some who have gone on to play for their local town side and even to district and county representative rugby all through the Leamington RUFC Schools Programme.

We now work closely with representatives from the local education (Warwickshire County Council) department to set up and deliver this programme.

And all this from the humble beginnings in 2000.
But there's so much more we can achieve with the help of our partners.

Background

The Schools Programme started in 2000 (with a funding award from The National Lottery) and reached 6 local junior schools in that first year.

Eight years later, last year, the programme provided rugby coaching to students in :-

-20+ local junior schools (Leamington and Warwick)
-5 local senior / secondary schools (years 7, 8, 9 and 10/11).

This totalled school based rugby coaching to an estimated 1500 local students for many of them this was their first time playing rugby.

Leamington RUFC provides a team of RFU qualified coaches to:-
-Coach rugby to students in schools.
-Referee schools matches (senior and junior)
-Host and run sessions and school matches at their ground 'Moorefields'.
-Host and run a one day schools tournament at Leamington RUFC grounds in July.
-Host and run a mini schools tournament at Leamington RUFC on the annual November 5th fireworks evening.

The programme is set up and organised by a host of volunteers and run by the youth section (part of a charitable trust). We now also use the Warwick University men's team to coach in the Secondary Schools after we have put them through the Rugby Ready and Scrum Factory courses and the Warwick University Women's team to go into the Primary Schools and coach Tag Rugby. This at present limits how much the programme can grow.

The Leamington RUFC Youth Section committee have decided not just to continue but to develop the programme further and reach even more schools and a wider student base. We have an impressive 3 year programme in place ready to launch, in conjunction with the local councils and the RFU.

Finances have so far been provided through government lottery support and the youth section's own fund raising actions (and some early limited sponsorship support). To take the programme to the next stage will require financial support from a partner (or partners).
Future - A 3 Year Development, 2017 to 2019

A three year development programme has been set out, built on the success seen to date. The aims will be to:-
-Reach at least 25 local junior schools with more after school coaching sessions.
-Reach at least 6 local secondary schools with coaching help in school.
-Have inter-school competitions and tournaments, senior and junior
-Build up a database of students on the programme and invite them to join Leamington RUFC Youth Section to continue their rugby playing.
-Provide coaching at schools for teachers, helpers and students.
-Provide equipment and clothing to junior schools to encourage continued involvement in rugby at schools.

This will require external funding support.

The government's Sportsmatch scheme has already indicated that they may be approached to match any external funding. They fully support the plans now being discussed to extend and develop this successful initiative.

Benefits to Partner / Sponsor

The opportunities to promote the partners support in this programme are extensive. They include:-

1) Sponsors Name / Logo on:-
-All equipment supplied to schools. This could include (with sufficient funding) training equipment for local schools (balls, bibs, tag sets etc.).
- All communications to schools and students/ families
-Trophies, medals and certificates for junior and senior school tournaments.
-All press cover (aided by The Courier who are already actively supporting the programme)
-Leamington RUFC website (both senior and youth) and all communication to current membership. Possibly also as main sponsor on a dedicated Leamington RUFC Schools Rugby site accessed by all the schools and students with fixtures, results etc. - see item 7 below
-Dedicated (new) Leamington RUFC Schools Programme website to be accessed by 20 / 30 schools and students / parents / teachers etc. see below
-All clothing worn by the coaches (Leamington RUFC and Warwick University), helpers and volunteers in all schools and at the Leamington RUFC hosted events.
-On trophies and certificates given to players
-Leamington RUFC School Rugby Stickers - to be given away for use in the back of cars etc. by players, coaches etc.

2) Graphic support (banners) at Leamington RUFC for all schools matches and tournaments bearing the sponsors name and details.

3) Signboard at ground pitchside - (permanently for 2 years) detailing the support, visible at all club events, senior games, representative matches and all junior activities, matches, tournaments and festivals.

4) Opportunities to present medal, trophies and certificates at Leamington RUFC schools tournaments.

5) A higher profile with both Warwick District Council and Warwickshire County Council as the sponsor of Leamington RUFC Schools Programme already held in high esteem by both organisations.

6) At the many PR opportunities for PR cover e.g. at The Schools Events trophy / prize giving ceremonies

7) A dedicated website www.leamingtonrufcshoolsrugby.co.uk - to be set up and launched use by all schools. This would show results of matches, fixtures, activities, news stories and a whole host more. We'd encourage contribution from the students and schools themselves. This would be linked to both Leamington RUFC sites and we anticipate many school sites. Showing the programme sponsor and a link to the sponsors website.
The individual partners may well have their own thoughts on how they wish to benefit from this high profile programme we'd be glad to discuss them.

And not least of course the knowledge that, the beneficiaries of this programme will be many more hundreds of local boys and girls from a wide base of locations, social and ethnic backgrounds and varied age groups.

The first 8 years have seen remarkable growth and success. The next phase could prove to be even more dynamic.

We'd love you to consider being our partner and joining us in that success.

There could be hundreds more students benefiting from your sponsorship.