Northampton Saints’ outreach programmes will come to the fore next Tuesday, with the Club’s Premiership Rugby Cup match against Harlequins also marking the first ever ‘Community Match’ at cinch Stadium at Franklin’s Gardens.
While the men in Black, Green and Gold will lock horns with the Londoners on the pitch, Northampton’s vibrant and ever-expanding community department will be showcasing their impactful programmes around the ground.
Over 1,800 schoolchildren and 200 staff from 82 schools across Northampton have been invited to attend the match free of charge, with a number of those schools also offered free Saints in the Schools coaching sessions in the build-up to the match.
A Project Rugby festival will take place ahead of the clash for secondary school participants, with several of Northampton’s first-team players also heading along for a Q&A, and before the game Saints’ WR5s Premiership-winning Wheelchair Rugby side will be doing a meet and greet in the Supporter Village.
Meanwhile on the pitch, many local rugby clubs will be represented during the match as Saints replace their usual home socks with those from teams across Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Buckinghamshire, North Essex and Suffolk – creating an explosion of colour across the Gardens.
“The Community Match is an idea which was born out of a desire to bring as many of our stakeholders in schools, clubs and our programmes together for one special game at the Gardens,” said Saints’ Community Programmes Manager, Ben Lawrence.
“It’s fantastic for the kids involved in our school programmes to be able to head along to the stadium and see our first team perform on the pitch.”
Ben Lawrence, Saints’ Community Programmes Manager
“Especially for those who might not be able to experience a Saints match otherwise, and we’ve had a great response from the 82 schools we reached out to.
“Other people coming to the game will also have an opportunity to come and hear about all the good work we are doing throughout our region, and find out ways they too could get involved across our schools, inclusion, health or wellbeing programmes as well as camps and festivals.
“We hope we’ll see a number of new schools come on board with us too after the match, so we’re really excited for the event and to see so many people involved.”
