Rugby is for everyone.

NRCF is committed to promoting equality of opportunity and eliminating discrimination in all its forms. We believe that every person — regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage or civil partnership, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation — has the right to participate in and benefit from our programmes and activities.

These nine characteristics are protected under the Equality Act 2010, and our commitment extends beyond legal compliance. We actively work to create an environment where everyone feels valued, respected and able to contribute.

Our programmes — Rugby Explorers, Young Leaders, TRY Again and TREDS Active — are designed to be accessible to children, young people and adults from all backgrounds. We work with schools, community partners and statutory agencies to reach those who face the greatest barriers to participation.

We regularly review our programme delivery to identify and remove barriers to access, whether those barriers are financial, physical, cultural or social. Where we identify gaps in representation, we take positive steps to address them.

We are committed to making our activities, communications and facilities as accessible as possible. This includes considering the needs of disabled participants and carers when planning sessions, providing information in accessible formats on request, and ensuring our venues meet reasonable accessibility requirements.

If you have specific accessibility requirements or would like to discuss how we can support your participation, please contact us and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.

We recognise that inclusive governance leads to better decisions and more representative outcomes. Our Board of Trustees is committed to broadening the diversity of its membership over time, and we actively encourage applications from individuals with lived experience of the communities we serve.

We are transparent about where we currently fall short and committed to continuous improvement. We will report on our progress as part of our annual review cycle.

NRCF is committed to fair and inclusive recruitment, whether for paid staff, volunteers or trustees. We will not discriminate on any protected characteristic in our recruitment, selection, training or management processes.

We expect all staff, volunteers and trustees to uphold this commitment in their conduct and to challenge discriminatory behaviour wherever they encounter it. Concerns can be raised with the Chair of Trustees or through our safeguarding contacts.

We stand firmly against racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism and all other forms of discrimination in rugby and in our community. We support the Rugby Football Union's work on inclusion and diversity, and we will take all reports of discriminatory behaviour seriously.

Anyone who experiences or witnesses discrimination in connection with NRCF's activities is encouraged to report it to us directly. We will investigate all reports promptly, fairly and confidentially.

We know that commitment to EDI is not a destination but an ongoing journey. We will review this statement annually, seek feedback from participants, partners and communities, and update our practices accordingly.

We welcome challenge and dialogue. If you have suggestions for how we can do better, or if you have experienced something that falls short of the standards set out here, please get in touch.