Northampton Saints’ Community team are proud to announce their first ever international wheelchair rugby camp, partnering with Uppsala Parasport to deliver a two‑day programme in Sweden later this year.
The camp marks a major milestone for Saints’ growing wheelchair rugby provision, showcasing the Club’s commitment to inclusion, player development and international collaboration.
Working alongside Uppsala Parasport, which is located about 40 miles from the Swedish capital city of Stockholm, coaches from Saints Wheelchair Rugby will lead sessions focused on engaging both Wheelchair Rugby and Wheelchair Rugby 5s players in joint training environments.
The camp will also support junior athletes by exploring how to safely and effectively integrate young players into combined sessions with adults, underpinned by a strong safeguarding approach.
“We are delighted to be taking the Northampton Saints name into new territory and helping share best practice in an emerging area for wheelchair rugby,” said Saints Wheelchair Rugby head coach, Jamie Higgins. “Sweden has a small group of teams who compete at Paralympic level, but they are keen to grow their WR5s player base, and we feel well placed to help them achieve that.”
Paralympic Wheelchair Rugby is the elite, internationally recognised version of the sport, played four‑a‑side with strict classification rules to ensure all athletes have impairments affecting at least three limbs. It is the format used at the Paralympic Games and major global competitions, with mixed‑gender teams competing under a tight points‑based system that balances functional ability on court.
Wheelchair Rugby 5s (WR5s) offers a more inclusive and development‑focused alternative. Played five‑a‑side with broader eligibility criteria, it welcomes a wider range of physical disabilities and is designed to support participation, junior pathways and mixed‑ability sessions. With fewer restrictions and more open play, WR5s is increasingly used by community clubs and national programmes to grow the sport and create accessible entry points for new players.
Higgins added: “It is a complex and challenging process to be able to coach both top‑level wheelchair rugby players alongside those who might be trying the sport for the first time. But it is something that is massively rewarding, as we have seen ourselves over the years with Saints Wheelchair Rugby.
Among the players who have guested in Sweden is Jamie’s son, Kascie, Saints Wheelchair Rugby captain, who will join him for the trip to Uppsala in September. While hopeful the camp will help plant the seeds for growth in Sweden, Jamie is also keen to stress that the visit will be mutually beneficial.
“It’ll be very interesting and helpful for us, as we will be coaching a completely different set of people, which is likely to present a unique set of challenges for us — challenges that can only be beneficial for our development as coaches,” he said. “We hope that in return we can support growth of WR5s in Sweden and, following approval from the competition manager at GBWR, we hope to invite a team from Uppsala to take part in a leg of the Midlands development league, offering an opportunity to play some friendly but competitive games.”
Richard Rimmer, Uppsala Parasport Head Coach, said: “Wheelchair rugby is growing quickly in Sweden, especially among younger players, and this camp is a fantastic opportunity to help develop the sport further. Saints’ experience and knowledge will give both players and coaches valuable inspiration and guidance for the future.
“The team was started after a conversation with a player I coached when she played rugby for Uppsala Rugby Club. She was diagnosed with MS and she missed the rugby spirit, the hard work, the big hits, and the camaraderie that rugby brings. Together, with support from Parasport Uppsala, we managed to get a wheelchair rugby team up and running.
“Our club was founded to bring back the spirit, teamwork, and physicality of rugby for athletes with disabilities, and we are proud to create opportunities for players from all over Sweden to come together, develop, and enjoy the sport.
“Since then, the club has continued to grow, bringing together players from different backgrounds who share a passion for sport, teamwork, and competition. Our goal is to create long-term opportunities for both junior and senior players to develop within wheelchair rugby and help grow the sport across Sweden and that’s where Saints come in with their experience.”