The Rugby Football League will be among the first group of organisations working in partnership with Sport England to receive funding from its new funding model running from 2022-27.
The governing body will receive an investment of £11.9 million of Government funding spread across five years from April 2022.
The award has been made because of the RFL’s role in encouraging community participation and inclusivity in Rugby League.
A total of 43 partner organisations have been selected by Sport England to share in £193 million worth of funding due to their ability to influence positive change and improvement throughout the sector, their own networks, and beyond.
“As the Rugby League Dividend Report, published in 2019 showed, our sport delivers significant social and economic impact in some of the most deprived parts of the country,” said Marc Lovering, the RFL’s Director of Participation and Development.
“We could not have done that without our long-running partnership with Sport England, so we are immensely grateful to have reached this new agreement, and aware of the responsibilities it involves.
“The funding will again be split under agreement with Sport England between supporting our England national teams, and with the majority to be invested in the development of the sport – with a focus on tackling inequalities and building stronger communities.
“We have taken significant steps to increase the sustainability of Community Rugby League over recent months with the introduction of the Our League Active participation membership scheme, while more than £10 million of investment into facilities reaching more than 200 community clubs and organisations has been delivered by Rugby League World Cup 2021 in partnership with the RFL and Sport England through the CreatedBy Capital Grants Programme.
“This new funding model from Sport England provides longer-term financial security as organisations such as the RFL recover and reinvent following the Covid-19 pandemic.”
Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport England, said: “The RFL play a foundational role within the sport and physical activity sector and are therefore well-placed to create the conditions for change.
They will also act as a resource for other innovative organisations with the same goals as we seek to create a more equal society with everyone benefiting from sport and physical activity.”
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