Get into Rugby PLUS Media Information
Get into Rugby PLUS is a flagship Sport for Development programme that embeds life skills learning with rugby union to promote positive behaviour, gender equality, and prevent violence against women, girls and boys.
Get into Rugby PLUS is jointly developed and implemented by Oceania Rugby, Fiji Rugby Union, Samoa Rugby Union, UN Women and ChildFund Rugby.
Get into Rugby PLUS is co-funded by the Australian Government’s Team Up initiative through its partnership with Rugby Australia and Oceania Rugby; by UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office, through the Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women and Girls (Pacific Partnership), funded primarily by the European Union, and the Governments of Australia and New Zealand, and UN Women; and ChildFund Rugby.
Building on World Rugby’s Get Into Rugby initiative, and Fiji and Samoa’s favourite sport, girls and boys in the programme benefit from involvement in fun, progressive team activities led by trained coaches who model the values of inclusion and diversity, and create safe playing environments.
Integrated life skills learning components engage players in processes of critical thinking and reflection around issues of respectful relationships, gender stereotypes and violence to build the knowledge, confidence and resilience. The curriculum uses rugby’s values of integrity, solidarity, respect, discipline and passion as its foundation.
Get into Rugby PLUS commits to 50% male and female Coaches and Players as a strategy to challenge and normalise females in both leadership roles and as players in the sport.
Developed specifically for communities within the Pacific region, the curriculum has been adapted from ChildFund Rugby’s award-winning Sport for Development programme, Pass It Back.
Country-specific Information
Get into Rugby PLUS Fiji commenced in 2018 with 20 coaches reaching over 300 girls and boys. In 2020, over 500 players benefitted under the leadership of 32 trained coaches. The programme continues to expand and strengthen.
The programme is making a positive impact on both players and its coaches. Monitoring shows that girls and boys are proactively promoting gender equality and reducing the use of violence in their lives, they now have greater knowledge and support to identify, reduce and report harassment and violence. Many coaches assert the transformative influence the programme has had upon them, and have become proactive change agents for gender equality and ending violence.
Get into Rugby PLUS Samoa commenced in 2021 with 20 coaches working with 12-16 year old secondary school boys and girls.
Get into Rugby PLUS Partners
Oceania Rugby
Oceania Rugby is one of six regional associations of World Rugby, responsible for representing the interests of its 16 Members. Oceania Rugby works closely with Member Unions to promote the growth and performance of rugby throughout the Oceania region. Central to this is a series of tournaments, development programmemes and institutional strengthening initiatives led and coordinated by Oceania Rugby. Oceania Rugby’s Sport for Development programmes contribute to achieving gender equality, reducing inequality, and ending violence against women and children, and are built around rugby values: respect, integrity, solidarity, discipline and passion.
UN Women Fiji Multi-Country OfficeFunding Partner
A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. The UN Women Fiji Multi-Country Office (MCO) based in Fiji, covers 14 Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs): Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Republic of Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. The Fiji MCO works to progress gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Pacific through four key programmes: Women’s Economic Empowerment; Ending Violence Against Women and Girls; Women’s Political Empowerment, Leadership and Human Rights; and Gender and Protection in Humanitarian Action. Through the Pacific Partnership to End Violence Against Women and Girls (Pacific Partnership) programme, UN Women works with partners to promote gender equitable social norms at individual and community levels to prevent violence against women and girls. The EUR27.6 million programme is funded primarily by the European Union (EUR12.7m) with targeted support from the Governments of Australia (EUR11.1m) and New Zealand (EUR3.2m) and cost-sharing with UN Women (EUR0.6m) and is led by the Pacific Community (SPC), UN Women and the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat..
ChildFund RugbyFunding Partner
ChildFund Rugby’s partnerships provide children with opportunities to play, learn and grow. Using integrated rugby and life skills learning, young people from vulnerable communities are equipped to overcome challenges, inspire positive social change and take active leadership roles within their communities. Under ChildFund Australia’s guidance, its Rugby for Development programmes contribute to achieving gender equality, reducing inequality, and ending violence against children, reflecting targets within the UN Sustainable Development Goals. ChildFund is recognised as a pioneer organisation within the International Safeguards for Children in Sport, which ensure that children are physically and emotionally safe across sport. ChildFund Australia is an independent international development organisation that works to reduce poverty for children in developing communities, and is a member of the ChildFund Alliance, a global network of 12 organisations which assists almost 23 million children and their families in 70 countries.
Team UpFunding Partner
Team Up is the Australian Government’s sport for development programme comprising more than 30 partnerships across Asia-Pacific that are working towards three outcomes: 1. Sport programmes attract and retain women, girls and people with a disability, as well as men and boys 2. Sport organisations are safe, inclusive and accessible 3. Australia and Asia-Pacific partners use sport to strengthen relationships and build closer collaboration These three outcomes all contribute to Team Up’s overall goal: Australia-Asia-Pacific sport partnerships support all people to realise their full potential through sport.
Australian AidFunding Partner
PacificAus Sports is driving more ambitious sports partnerships between Australia and the Pacific in high performance sport. It a flagship initiative of Sports Diplomacy 2030 and Australia's Pacific Step-up. It gives priority to activities that seek to: 1. Develop pathways for Pacific teams to play in high-level Australian sporting competitions 2. Support Australian teams to increase their presence and participation in the Pacific, and 3. Create pathways for emerging Pacific athletes to benefit from high performance coaching and training. PacificAus Sports works across all sport with a special focus on expanding partnerships with Pacific sports teams and organisations in netball, rugby union, football and rugby league. It is delivered through partnerships between the Australian Government and Australian, regional and Pacific island sports organisations.
Rugby AustraliaImplementation Partner
The sport's national governing body in Australia and is a member of World Rugby and Oceania Rugby. Australia is regarded as a world powerhouse in men’s and women’s rugby, represented nationally by the Wallabies, Wallaroos (VX-a side) and the AU 7s men and AU 7s women. Domestically, there are over 246,000 active male and female rugby players across nearly 1000 Clubs, with diversity supported through a range of innovative programs and community partnerships. Rugby Australia has enjoyed a long friendship with our Pacific Rugby neighbours and are proudly supporting Team-Up programs in Fiji, Samoa, PNG and Nauru.
Fiji Rugby UnionImplementation Partner
Was founded in 1913, is the national governing body for the sport, a member of Oceania Rugby and World Rugby, and a member of the World Rugby Council. As Fiji’s national sport, rugby boasts over 60,000 registered junior players (male and female), and over 4500 coaches. Fiji’s national teams, the Flying Fijian’s and Fijiana (XVs), and its men’s and women’s 7s, are respected globally, as regulars at Rugby World Cups, on the HSBC World Sevens Tour, and the Olympics. Fiji’s Men’s 7s become the pride of the nation after winning gold in Rio-2016 – the country’s first ever Olympic medal.
Lakapi SamoaImplementation Partner
Rugby Union is the national sport of Samoa, and Samoa enjoys a deep and rich history of producing some of the world’s best players. Lakapi Samoa is rugby’s national governing body (previously known as Samoa Rugby Union) and is a member of Oceania Rugby and World Rugby. Samoa’s national teams (Manusamoa – men’s team, and Manusina – women’s teams) are national ambassadors and rugby events at all levels garner passion and patronage. The Manusamoa have been to every Rugby World Cup since the 1991, and the Manusina, are growing increasingly competitive as they look to compete in their 4th Rugby World Cup in 2021.
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