The programme helps young people participate in on-field rugby sessions delivered by local club rugby development officers, who are also partnered with local schools.
The focus is on developing on-field performance within the game, as well as achieving off-field qualifications to upskill the young people as they progress through the programme.
Similarly, young people engage in their local community through CashBack community rugby events that target people aged 16-25. The programme aims to enhance young people’s sense of purpose and belonging.
Our Project and Partnership Development Officers oversee community CashBack projects in the West, Caledonia and East regions. Their responsibility is to ensure school communities are supported in delivering successful and impactful programmes throughout the academic year as well as collecting data and promoting key events and good case studies.
Scottish Rugby deliver the initiatives, ensuring the impact on communities are aligned to CashBack outcomes. Over the course of a ‘phase’, which makes up three years, the programme receives funding to target 5,000 young people nationwide.
CashBack for Communities recently completed year two of the programme’s sixth phase, which was focused on the theme of ‘Sport for Change’.
This saw investment delivered to schools in areas of deprivation, targeting pupils who may be at risk of being excluded, or at risk of exclusion from school, or at risk of being involved in antisocial behaviour.
Scottish Rugby, partnered with CashBack for Communities, identified 13 secondary schools situated in, or taking children from, the most deprived areas of Scotland and have implemented ‘Schools of Rugby (SoR) and Community Rugby’ programmes.
Areas in which the project will be delivered:
- Aberdeen – Northfield Academy
- Dundee City – Craigie High School, Braeview Academy
- East Lothian – Ross High School
- Edinburgh – Castlebrae Community High, Wester Hailes High School, Leith Academy
- Fife – Auchmuty High School
- Glasgow – St Paul’s RC High School
- Highland – Alness Academy
- Inverclyde – Inverclyde Academy
- North Ayrshire – Irvine Academy
- South Lanarkshire – Larkhall Academy
