World Rugby and iCoachKids join forces to increase global coaching reach

--World Rugby calling on global rugby family to get ‘rugby ready’ during this period of downtime

--Free coaching, strength and conditioning and coaching modules available to the global rugby community on www.passport.worldrugby.org

--Strategic partnership focused on innovation and accessibility underscores rugby’s youth appeal ambition

--COVID-19 pandemic provides opportunity for sports educators and coaches to reset and upskill

--Rugby coaching reaching millions worldwide every year

World Rugby is calling on the global rugby family to get ready for rugby and take the opportunity to upskill and further personal and professional development in core areas of the game, including training, strength and conditioning and coaching at all levels via World Rugby’s educational and learning websitewww.passport.worldrugby.org.

World Rugby and iCoachKids are delighted to announce the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding, aimed at supporting the development of children and youth coaches around the world.

With World Rugby’s well-established Rugby Ready and specialist online and face-to-face coach and trainer education reaching more than 600,000 users worldwide, driving best-practice in an accessible format, the strategic partnership with renowned innovator iCoachKids will extend the reach of the sport beyond its own communities, using its vast global network to further rugby’s accessibility and appeal.

Led by Leeds Beckett University and the International Council for Coaching Excellence, iCoachKids www.icoachkids.eu delivers a free and innovative learning environment for youth coaches with more than 100 instructional videos and an aggregation of educational articles, interviews and blogs. World Rugby and iCoachKids share the common goal of increasing access to and improving youth participation and activity.

Through the partnership, World Rugby will provide access to its range of training and playing educational modules available via the www.passport.worldrugby.orgwebsite, including the newly-launched updated conditioning for rugby programmes for children, youths and adults.

With the sporting world currently in lockdown owing to the global COVID-19 pandemic, the pause in on-field activities will enable coaches and educators to press the ‘reset’ programme, upskill and ensure that the sport hits the ground running when rugby resumes. iCoachKids will play a leading role in that process.

Through e-learning modules, webinars and other online activities, the partnership is perfectly positioned to provide support and guidance at a challenging time.

World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said: "We are calling on the global rugby family to stay active, stay connected and use this time to further personal and professional development across all levels of the game through our free online educational modules.

"Rugby’s future success will be determined by its future appeal, accessibility and simplicity and we are delighted to be partnering with iCoachKids to further best-practice rugby education for coaches of the next generation of players and supporters in a fun, innovative and accessible way.

"While World Rugby, its regions and unions reach millions of young participants each year, this strategic partnership will enable us to reach further, communicate in a different tone of voice and ensure that rugby education is accessible, fun and gold standard for more people than ever."

iCoachKids Director Dr Sergio Lara-Bercial added: "iCoachKids is thrilled to begin this partnership with World Rugby to support the development needs of rugby coaches all over the world.

"Rugby is a truly international sport with a following of millions and an outstanding record when it comes to innovative coach education and development, especially in youth rugby. This partnership will allow for the common messages of both organisations to reach a captive audience and for the iCoachKids mission and vision to continue to be spread around the globe."

Editors' Notes

About World Rugby: World Rugby is committed to the global advancement of rugby and its character-building values to build a better, stronger game for all. The global rugby community comprises 9.6 million players and 338 million fans affiliated via 124 national member unions in six regions and driven by the commercial success of Rugby World Cup, World Rugby is planning to invest GBP £620 million at all levels of the game between 2020 and 2023, eclipsing the previous four-year cycle by 28 per cent, to ensure strong and sustainable growth. www.world.rugby.

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