Photo: ©Laurent_Bagnis @bagnis.pics
- GBWR to Showcase their Women & Girls Wheelchair Talent Programme ahead of Rugby World Cup
- ‘Come & Try’ sessions, as well as matches have been scheduled in the build up to the opening ceremony
- For more information about wheelchair rugby, visit www.gbwr.org.uk
Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby (GBWR) is set to head to Sunderland later this month, as the governing body places a spotlight on their Women & Girls Talent Programme ahead of the Rugby World Cup.
With activities planned from Tuesday 19th August to Thursday 21st August at the Beacon of Light, GBWR hopes to inspire more women & girls to take up wheelchair rugby via ‘Come & Try’ sessions and scheduled matches, both of which are open to members of the public to participate in or watch.
Wheelchair Rugby is the only mixed-gender full contact sport at the Paralympic Games & the GB team won Gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Since then, GBWR has been on a mission to drive more females into the sport, with the aim of increasing the talent pool.
Earlier this year, the governing body announced a landmark partnership with The Hartford, where the esteemed insurance company was revealed as the Official Insurance Partner of the GBWR Women & Girls Talent Programme. Alongside Canterbury & SiS (who also support the GB Women’s talent programme) The Hartford provides instrumental support in nurturing talent and expanding opportunities for women and girls in wheelchair rugby across Great Britain.
The funding from partners significantly enhances GBWR’s efforts to develop female talent in wheelchair rugby and allows for events such as those taking place in the North East later this month to happen.
Speaking about the planned activities, Jason Brisbane, CEO of GBWR commented: “We are thrilled to be heading to the North East to showcase our sport to new and existing rugby fans. There is going to be a brilliant atmosphere in the run up to England’s first match and we hope the public will come along to our events and show support for wheelchair rugby too. We’re on a drive to recruit more female talent to our sport and we’re keen to encourage as many women & girls as possible to come along and give the sport a go! For spectators, we’re hosting a GB women’s wheelchair rugby match against France on Thursday 21st August and we’d love to get as much GB support there as possible!“
Richard Allcroft, WWR President, said, “Good luck to GB and France as they compete ahead of the start of the Rugby World Cup in Sunderland, England. This is a great initiative being taken by wheelchair rugby to showcase the sport and provide have-a-go sessions to introduce our game to more women. WWR launched its playbook earlier in the year to increase female participation and to help nations create the right opportunities and environments to attract more female athletes. I know that the sport will be well received and encourage people to come along, especially if you haven’t seen wheelchair rugby being played before.”
Kathy Newman, WWR Director of Competitions & Development, said, “As WWR advances toward gender equity, members who host events like this play a pivotal role in achieving our long-term goals. Every opportunity we create to engage girls and women in wheelchair rugby — and to promote participation and competition — brings us one step closer to realizing our vision. Hosting “Come & Try” events specifically for women and girls provides a welcoming, inclusive environment where they can learn about the sport and be inspired to stay involved. Connecting this event with the Women’s World Cup makes it even more exciting, offering a unique platform to spotlight wheelchair rugby and celebrate the growing opportunities for women and girls in the sport.”
A ‘Come & Try’ wheelchair rugby session has been organised for Tuesday 19th August from 4-6pm, whilst a GB women’s wheelchair rugby match has been scheduled for Thursday 21st August at 5pm. All activities are taking place at the Beacon of Light, SR5 1SN.
GBWR’s Women and Girls Talent Programme is dedicated to increasing female participation in wheelchair rugby, providing pathways from grassroots involvement to elite competition. The programme delivers training camps, outreach initiatives, and mentorship opportunities, ensuring that women and girls have the equipment, resources and support needed to excel in the sport.
For more information on GBWR’s initiatives and wheelchair rugby, please visit GBWR’s official website.
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About GBWR
Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby (GBWR) is the national governing body for the game of wheelchair rugby in England, Scotland, and Wales, is a registered charity and company limited by guarantee, and is a full member of World Wheelchair Rugby (WWR) and of the British Paralympic Association (BPA). GBWR also operates a subsidiary, GBWR Trading Limited, which manages GBWR’s commercial opportunities and sponsorship.
Wheelchair rugby is a London 2012 Paralympic Games legacy success story and GBWR has grown the sport from a domestic league with a single division comprising seven teams, to one which now has three leagues providing competition opportunities for 20 teams. The domestic league is internationally recognized for its high level of competition, where it regularly sees international players from Europe joining domestic teams and strengthening the level of competition.
The GB national team won a gold medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games – the first medal of any colour for a European nation. The team are also the current European champion and have secured gold a record total of seven times since 1995.
GBWR offers the sport for young people and our junior programme provides an opportunity for those aged 8 to 17 years to experience wheelchair rugby in a junior-only environment which currently has over 90 youngsters playing the game regularly.
In recent years GBWR developed a new discipline of the game aimed at attracting those with greater functionality than the Paralympic discipline permits. Wheelchair rugby 5’s allows us to reach more people with wheelchair rugby. Although in its infancy, the discipline has proved popular with new teams developing across the country, and more recently has seen international growth through WWR.
In addition, GBWR has in the past delivered programmes in military rehabilitation centres, in conjunction with the charity Help for Heroes. Testament to this work is the military-based team which has evolved from these programmes. GBWR also provides the coaching and support for the Invictus wheelchair rugby team, where Great Britain took the gold medal in 2015.
GBWR activities are funded through a mix of government, National Lottery, commercial and philanthropic funding. UK Sport has recognised the achievement of the GB national team, with GBWR being in receipt of £3.2m of funding for the L.A cycle up until 2029. Sport England has also recognised the success of GBWR, with a four-year award totalling £1.4M to support grassroots delivery. GBWR launched their new fundraising and commercial initiative in November 2023 called 28 for 28 which aims to bring 28 partners together to transform the sport on the road to the L.A 2028 Paralympics. So far 14 partners have joined the initiative including England Rugby, Science in Sport, and Canterbury.
In 2022, GBWR launched a new brand, with a new-look logo and strategy ahead of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.