Macquarie Group partners with Dallaglio Foundation to support rugby-inspired education programme

The Dallaglio Foundation, a charity founded by former England Rugby Captain and Rugby World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio OBE and the Macquarie Group Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Macquarie Group, today announced a three year strategic partnership.

Macquarie’s support will focus on RugbyWorks, the Dallaglio Foundation’s rugby-inspired education programme designed to engage and improve the lives of the hardest to reach young people who have been excluded from mainstream education.

RugbyWorks is a long term intervention which forms part of the curriculum within 30 Pupil Referral Units and Alternative Provision schools (AP) around the UK.  Many of the young people the Dallaglio Foundation mentor come from chaotic backgrounds and struggle to succeed in education and as a result have little or no prospect of a future in further education or employment.  The Dallaglio Foundation uses rugby as the tool to engage the young people, followed by a curriculum of classroom and employability based skills development with the objective of helping them into further education or employment. 

In addition to supporting two local alternative provision schools, Macquarie will host the annual RugbyWorks Awards and will play a significant role in supporting three RugbyWorks tournaments that take place around London during the academic year. 

David Fass, Macquarie Group Chief Executive, EMEA comments: “We are very pleased to be partnering with the Dallaglio Foundation to help support and grow the RubgyWorks programme over the next three years. Contributing to the communities in which we live and work is at the heart of the Macquarie Group Foundation and our colleagues look forward to volunteering their time and expertise to support young people to better their education and future employment prospects through sport.”

Rachel Roxburgh, Chief Executive of the Dallaglio Foundation, said: “We are delighted to be partnering with Macquarie over the next three years. Their long term commitment mirrors the continued support we give to our young people which is crucial in building trust and nurturing positive behavioural and educational development. We’re looking forward to developing the programme with Macquarie over the coming years.”

The Dallaglio Foundation

Former England Rugby Captain and 2003 World Cup winner Lawrence Dallaglio set up the Dallaglio Foundation in 2009 with a core objective of supporting disengaged young people become more employable through the power of rugby. 

The Dallaglio Foundation’s RugbyWorks programme engages young people at increased risk of long-term unemployment, criminality and imprisonment, making them more employable through a three-stage journey designed around the core values of rugby to make them work ready. 

RugbyWorks is founded on long-term relationships working nationally in Pupil Referral Units, with small groups of 14 – 16 year olds, who have been excluded from mainstream education, for an average of two years.  Based around a curriculum of playing rugby, developing employability skills through games and workshops and providing experiences in the workplace, Dallaglio Foundation coaches offer stability to often unstable lives and provide a personal development pathway to employability. 

For more information visit www.dallagliofoundation.com.

Registered charity number: 1130353