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Rugby youth hub helps kids and players with future

Simon Thake
BBC News, Yorkshire
Simon Thake A group of people in sports hoodies waving flags stand on a grass pitch infront of a new white buildingSimon Thake
The Hub opens on Friday and will serve as a brand new youth and community facility

A South Yorkshire rugby club has opened a community facility at their home ground to help youth development and SEND support.

Rotherham Titans Community Foundation received £700k from the government's Youth Investment Fund in 2023.

The money was spent demolishing a dilapidated bingo hall at the Titans' Clifton Lane home and replacing it with the new facility.

Lindsay Jones, chair of trustees for the foundation, said: "This will make a huge difference, we want children around here to feel part of this community, rugby clubs can do that, they feel they belong here, this can be a home for them."

supplied An old white building with moss covering the ceiling and green bins outsidesupplied
The building, on the site of Rotherham Titans' Clifton Lane ground, had previously been a bingo hall before it was demolished to build the new hub

The foundation has existed as a charity for more than 20 years and currently works with more than 2,000 children annually, focusing on inclusive sports and education programmes for children with special needs and disabilities as well as young people struggling with school attendance.

The aim now is to go engage even more children at their new home, called The Hub.

Ms Jones said: "We've always worked with children on fitness and health, but instead of going out to schools we wanted them to come here.

"We've worked with children who have struggled to return to school after covid and now they are back in school, happy, and getting back to exams."

supplied Three yellow step ladders form part of a room being repaired and decorated. Paint pots sit on the floor as well as cardboard boxessupplied
The facility has taken more than two years to build and will have classroom facilities as well as table tennis, table football and a kitchen

Before The Hub was built, the previous building, which at one time had been used as a hut for armed forces recruitment, had to be demolished.

Foundation trustee Julia Watson said: "It had to go.

"It was full of asbestos, and dangerous stuff, but the building died because there was no investment."

supplied Five big rugby players smiling with their arms around each other on the pitchsupplied
Several members of the Titans team are now training to work with young people through the community foundation

The foundation employs members of Titans playing staff to work with the young people and the project offers players an opportunity to think about careers after retirement from the game.

"The club has always given something back" said Ms Jones.

"We had a huge, great guy Louis McGowan, who was probably 6ft 9in (206cm). I watched him years ago sitting listening to little children read. It was wonderful"

Scrum-half and former Toulon player Jean-Baptiste Bruzulier joined the club two years ago and has become a qualified youth worker through the foundation.

"This is my transition into the real world. I've played the sport for 14 years but I've always worked with kids, I did emergency care, it's been my love, it's a scary process but I'm excited."

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