Rugby World Cup 2021 Appoints ChildFund as Principal Charity Partner

World Rugby announced on 26 May 2021, that the delayed Rugby World Cup 2021 has appointed ChildFund as the tournament’s principal charity partner. The sports & international development agency was also the partner at the Rugby World Cup 2019 in Japan.

World Rugby said this week when announcing the news, “With a focus on gender equality initiatives, ChildFund works with partners, including Oceania Rugby, to provide vulnerable girls and women with opportunities to learn skills to overcome challenges and be active leaders in their communities.”

What is ChildFund Rugby?

ChildFund Rugby launched earlier in 2021 as did the ChildFund Sport For Development brand and website. A number of Asia-Pacific countries are running rugby programs under their banners including in Laos, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Cambodia.

World Rugby Chief Executive Alan Gilpin added via the World Rugby press release: “We are delighted to be extending our impactful association with ChildFund, this time as principal charity partner for Rugby World Cup 2021. The tournament will showcase rugby’s unstoppable women as they compete at the highest level.

Importantly, it will also generate an incredible legacy by supporting a new generation of female players and leaders in Pacific Island nations through ChildFund’s significant contribution to rugby for development programmes in the Oceania region.”

ChildFund Alliance Chair Simon Whyte said: “Over 31,000 children and young people have benefitted from their involvement in ChildFund’s rugby for development programmes, which are highly successful in providing critical learning opportunities for children facing significant challenges linked to poverty and inequality….. ChildFund’s rugby for development programmes also supports global efforts to achieve gender equality, reduce inequality, and end gender-based violence, reflecting targets within the UN Sustainable Development Goals.”

Photo Credit: ChildFund Pass It Back

ChildFund Rugby Ambassadors

ChildFund Ambassadors include New Zealander Honey Hireme-Smiler and Australian Emily Chancellor, former and current international rugby players.

Hireme-Smiler, the former New Zealand Black Fern, said: “I am extremely passionate about supporting younger girls as this was how we were raised within our whanau (family). The ways in which ChildFund makes an impact on the lives of vulnerable children – whether through health and wellbeing, education, or sport – is so inspiring.”

Wallaroos player Emily Chancellor, who visited the ChildFund program in Laos in 2019 said: “I’m also proud to support an initiative which has such a strong focus on gender equality and is creating an equal playing field for girls and boys alike.”

How will funds from the RWC 2021 aid ChildFund?

World Rugby has said that funds raised during the RWC 2021 tournament in New Zealand will “allow ChildFund Rugby to expand its contribution to rugby for development programmes for children and young people in Oceania, support female leadership initiatives, and support the creation of strong rugby women’s networks around the globe.”

Rugby fans will be able to support the work of ChildFund Rugby via an opt-in mechanism to donate when purchasing match day tickets for RWC 2021.

The RWC 2021 tournament was postponed until 2022 due to the global pandemic and the new dates are 8 October – 12 November 2022.

Rugby Development News

• Crossing The Gain Line – Rugby Development in Myanmar.
• Future-Proofing Rugby in Asia – Growth of Rugby in Asia.
• Paul Walsh – Jungle Crows and Khelo Rugby.
• ChildFund Sport for Development – Online Safeguarding in Sport Project.