England Rugby's work with Stonewall
England Rugby and Stonewall began working in partnership in September 2018 with a mutual determination to make rugby an inclusive sport for LGBT+ people.
Stonewall has since worked with LGBT+ role models and allies from across the rugby union community and has helped to encourage grassroots rugby coaches to promote LGBT+ inclusion.
Three programmes have had a meaningful impact: Active Allies and Role Models, training LGBT+ people and club and constituent body leaders; and Train the Trainer, educating rugby coaches.
More than 100 community leaders from clubs and constituent bodies across England have been become active allies within rugby, with some 30 LGBT+ people confidently stepping up to become role models in their clubs and communities.
Those who attended programmes in January 2020 went on to develop diversity and inclusion policies for their clubs, challenging and reducing derogatory language.
Coaches have learned how to make their rugby environment LGBT+ inclusive and have been training other coaches and leaders to be active inclusion champions. Feedback has been tremendously positive, 98% saying they had a more comprehensive understanding of the issues LGBT+ people face in sport. One coach, impressed by the programme and the breadth of participation, wanted every club to now have a committee member responsible for inclusivity.
Those who have become role models are an impressive bunch, among them Nick Heath. From a keen rugby union family, he began playing touch rugby in 2007, the following year representing England Men’s 35s at the European Touch Championships. Nick has also been a rugby broadcaster since 2009, commentating on the Six Nations, Rugby World Cup, Gallagher Premiership, Rugby Championship, Champions Cup and Allianz Premier 15s.
He said: “Having played touch for 13 years, with my husband I’ve now launched Pride In Touch this year. I love rugby’s camaraderie and the role that respect plays in the game, promoting such a great team ethic. You give it everything, you win or you lose and you buy your opponent a drink after the game. It’s this respect that I think is the foundation to why the rugby family broadly supports the LGBT+ community so positively. What happens on the pitch doesn’t matter in the bar, and it should be the same for your sexuality and who you are.”
Lucy Callingham is an England Rugby Community Coach, Head Coach of the Women’s 1st XV at Hove RFC and the University of Brighton WRFC. She says: “When I think about some of my personal role models, I relate to their stories and experiences and I hope by sharing some of my own stories with others I can help them find and share some of the wonderful opportunities I’ve had through rugby.
"Hopefully, England Rugby will continue to work with brilliant groups like Stonewall to openly show support of LGBT+ people, as well as with other groups and communities that may have barriers to access sport. I would love rugby union to grow and be the number one choice when it comes to team sports.”
For Sue Day rugby is both her passion and her profession. Currently the RFU’s Chief Operations and Financial Officer she played for Wasps, captained England and England Sevens and fulfilled many roles at her club, including Wasps FC President.
She says that rugby’s friendships and sense of community stay with you for life. She adds: “It’s so much easier to feel accepted when you can see other people like you. As a role model, I want to be the person who would have enabled the younger me to come out sooner; not the person whose hurtful words pushed me back into the closet for another decade. I want to see every child have the same opportunity to get involved and enjoy rugby and be equally accepted and every adult having the same opportunity to progress and enjoy the benefits of rugby as a player, coach, referee or administrator.
“It’s been great to be involved in the start of this journey. The coronavirus pandemic’s impact and the inevitable isolation has made LGBT+ mental health issues more important than ever and inclusion in sport all the more critical. Through the RFU and Stonewall programmes and the Rainbow Laces campaign, a supportive rugby community can make a huge difference.”
