The new BKT United Rugby Championship Unity Awards look to recognise the great work done by players and teams within their communities and for charitable causes.
There are two categories - The Difference Maker Award, which will go to a player, and the Community Impact Award that will be presented to the team.
The winners of these awards will receive £5,000 from CVC to donate to their cause of choice (player) or to invest in their community programme (team).
Here are the six nominees for the Community Impact Award:
Cardiff Rugby
Cardiff Rugby have established a Visually Impaired team, which plays in matches and inclusion festivals against a range of mixed ability teams. They currently have 18 registered players, 15 of which train every week at the Arms Park. They have players travelling to take part from all over south and mid Wales, as well as the west country of England. It is the club’s mission to prove there is a rugby jersey for all.
Cell C Sharks
In July 2021, Kwa-Zulu Natal went through a period of huge adversity with the civil unrest that broke out across the province. Many small businesses and families were gravely affected by the looting and rioting, leaving them devastated after losing everything they had worked so hard for. The Cell C Sharks set up the Hands of Hope campaign to help rebuild communities affected by the unrest.
Dragons RFC
The Gwent region are running 18 programmes through the “Family of Provisions” encompassing sport, education, inclusion, community outreach, health and well-being. Engaging with over 40,000 youngsters on an annual basis ensures Dragons RFC is kept at the heart of the community. They adopt a “Jersey for All” approach to ensure inclusivity - regardless of age, race, religion, ability or disability.
Edinburgh Rugby
Edinburgh’s community programme predominantly focuses its work on areas of mass deprivation, children with learning difficulties and adults with additional support needs. They currently run a number of successful projects, notably the Inclusive Programme which involves both able bodied players and those with a physical or learning disability playing in one unified team.
Ospreys
Set up in 2015, Ospreys in the Community harnesses the power of sport to connect and inspire. It has positively impacted nearly 300,000 people’s lives through programmes such as Sporting Memories (Supporting those living with dementia, isolation or loneliness), TACKLE (Re-engaging young people in education, employment or training) and TRY Pi (A sports-based programme in primary schools).
Vodacom Bulls
The Vodacom Bulls support the Cancer Association of South Africa and PinkDrive by using rugby as a vehicle to address the need for easily accessible and more frequent cancer screenings, emphasising that early intervention can save lives. They have hosted two open breast cancer screening clinics within the Pretoria community - one in Wonderboom Junction and the other at a local township.
The judging panel for the awards features World Cup final referee Nigel Owens, the CSR Manager at CVC Jane Howard, Sports Broadcaster Emma Dodds and URC Head of Operations Amy Monaghan.
The winners will be revealed on Wednesday (December 21), with the award presentations to the winning club and player taking place ahead of games in Round 10.
