Prince Harry joins Premiership Rugby in Brazil

Shortly before England saw the curtain come down on their Football World Cup campaign in Belo Horizonte thousands of people gathered in the same city for an exciting event.

The venue was also unveiled as the British Olympic base for the Rio de Janeiro Games in 2016 – and the new location for Premiership Rugby’s flagship community programme in Brazil.

Premiership Rugby’s Try Rugby programme, which began in Sao Paulo before expanding to Santa Catarina, was officially extended to the Minas Gerais region. The programme is the result of funding and expertise from Premiership Rugby, the British Council and SESI, a public private partnership which runs schools and training programmes in Brazil, with the backing of local state governments.

The project was piloted in São Paulo, initially in 12 cities, utilising SESI SP facilities as community hubs to deliver the project. Since the pilot was launched in September 2012 the Try Rugby SP programme has reached over 54,000 children, young people and adults and is now expanding to 24 cities. The project delivers a range of health, education and participation based activities in schools and communities in Brazil.

Last night Prince Harry stopped by to send the on-looking crowd into a frenzy – though Premiership Rugby’s Community and CSR Director Wayne Morris was disappointed not to see him in rugby gear.

“It was incredible – there were thousands of people there,” said Morris. “Prince Harry is in Brazil at the moment and was attending the England game later in the day so he came along in the morning and helped us to launch the expansion of the programme.

“He had a photo with the British Olympic guys and then came along to a Try Rugby demonstration with four of our coaches.

“He was about to sign an agreement for use of the venue for the Olympic team so he was suited and booted, rather than in his sports gear like the last time we met in Brazil when he took part in a Try Rugby session.”

With the introduction of Rugby 7s into the Rio Games in two years’ time, Try Rugby Brazil – in partnership with the British Council and SESI in Brazil – is sweeping the country with impressive results.

The latest expansion will see the programme reach as many as 15,000 young people and Morris, who is spending a week in Brazil to oversee proceedings, cannot help but get excited.

“With rugby going into the Olympics we have been delivering the Try Rugby Programme across São Paulo and are now expanding,” he added.

“The response has been fantastic and the event (on Tuesday) in Belo Horizonte, where England played their last World Cup game, is the next stage in the programme’s development.

“We are hoping to run the programme in Rio too. One of the big things is to develop Brazilian coaches as well as players to make the project sustainable over here.”

TRY Rugby has four main objectives:

1. Help to grow the sport of rugby in Brazil in the lead up to Rio 2016.

2. To use rugby as a tool to support the social inclusion of ‘at risk’ or disadvantaged young people in Brazil and the development of valuable skills such as leadership.

3. Build links between the 12 Premiership Rugby clubs in the UK and SESI centres in Brazil to co-create resources and share best practice in the use of rugby for social inclusion and the development of young people.

4. To share knowledge and best practice in rugby with teachers, coaches and young volunteers creating a sustainable workforce.

Since its launch:

• More than 14,000 participants play rugby every week in São Paulo state. This has doubled the rugby playing base in Brazil.


• More than 54,000 people have taken part in coaching sessions, workshops, coach education, events and competitions.


• 350 teachers and volunteer coaches can now teach tag rugby and referee games (key to making the project sustainable).


• Working with local partners SESI-FIEMG, FIESC and FIESP across the states of Minas Gerais, Santa Catarina and São Paulo, Premiership Rugby coaches are increasing participation in rugby and utilising rugby’s culture and core values to initiate health, education and social change.


• Now with 24 school sites across three different states in Brazil – home of the Rio 2016 Olympics and Rugby 7s’ first involvement in the Games since the 1920s – the scheme aims to see more than 70,000 people taking part in coaching sessions, workshops and events over the next year.

Article source: http://www.scotsman.com/news/scotland/top-stories/former-scotland-rugby-international-on-rape-charge-1-3150028

Prince Harry joins Premiership Rugby in Brazil