Chard RFC is more than just a rugby club—it’s a safe space for kids from all backgrounds
Chard Rugby Club is using sport to foster mental and physical wellbeing, providing a safe and inclusive space for children from all backgrounds. Since 2008, the charity Sported has supported local grassroots clubs like Chard RFC, offering guidance, funding, and advice to help them grow and make a difference. Penny Rabone, wellbeing lead at Sported, highlighted the impact of community sport beyond physical activity.
“Community sport and physical activity is just great for children, young people, to get them out, get them active,” Penny said. “All of the hidden benefits that we don’t necessarily see, like social outcomes, for example, that can’t always be measured. Young people coming out of their house, making new friends, groups, friendships, these are the things that really enhance health and wellbeing for children and young people. I just think to get them out and get them active is really important for mental and physical health.”
Chard RFC has embraced this philosophy. Billy Ellens, chair of Chard Rugby Club said: “We normally grow on the average of one a week, but we never turn a child away,” Ellens said. “Our key thing was bringing their children into a sport where they can exercise, they can stay active, they can make new friends. But most of all, they feel protected that they’re in this bubble.
“Dan, who was the chairman at Chew Valley at the time, saw this big, huge gap in the market for children with mental health or ACEs [adverse childhood experiences] and wanted to challenge that basically and bring children into sport.
“Children that come from all backgrounds, so whether it’s parents in prison, whether it’s an abusive relationship between mother and father, whether they’ve lost their parent at an early stage of their life, or poverty as well.”
Sported, the UK’s largest grassroots sport charity, supports around 5,000 community groups, helping young people access the benefits of physical activity. Andy Teague, coach for the under-12 girls’ team at Chard RFC, has witnessed these benefits firsthand.
“Something that I really see as a positive of the girls playing rugby is that they are turning up every week and they’re getting stuck in and they’ve got a really good routine,” Teague said. “They build relationships with girls that are of a different age group, so perhaps when they’re transitioning from primary school up through to secondary school, they already know people that are there.
“My daughters both play rugby and even when we’re out in town at weekends, they’ll see the girls from the older teams and they are communicating with them and they’re friends, and it is absolutely brilliant to see.”
More information about Sported and its support for grassroots sports clubs can be found at www.sported.org.uk. To learn more about Chard RFC, visit www.chardrfc.rfu.club.
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