Funding from the National Lottery Community Fund has been granted to the Sheffield Eagles Foundation to provide SEND-inclusive youth engagement in rugby league.

Jack Pemberton, 26, Inclusion Officer at The Eagles Foundation, said: “The funding will be an absolute game changer for The Eagles Foundation and our youth engagement provision.

“We’ll be able to meet the needs of the community, work more closely with local partners and schools, and provide more activity and opportunity for disabled and non-disabled young people.

“We can now provide regular, free, inclusive rugby league, wheelchair rugby league, and multisport sessions in the area each week, as well as increasing our half term and school holiday provision.”

The Eagles will be opening their doors on matchdays for the Sheffield Eagles Men’s, Women’s and Wheelchair teams and allowing young people to watch professional rugby for free.

Carys Jones, 21, Club Captain for University of Sheffield Women’s Rugby club, said: “Compared to other sports, it’s a lot harder for women to get into rugby, so it’s good to get more people involved.

“In school, girls usually play hockey or netball, there isn’t much chance to play rugby. A lot of girls that come to us have never played before, I’d say only about 10% have.”

Miss Jones also has insight into playing with a disability as she has hearing loss.

She said: “It’s important to have healthy conversations about awareness of people’s abilities to make sure people feel included.”

To further encourage diversity in the sport, the University of Sheffield Women’s Rugby team will be joining the Eagles Foundation to learn how to play wheelchair rugby.