inspiresport, the leading UK school sports tour operator has agreed a two year partnership with the Dallaglio Foundation, a charity that works with disengaged young people, which includes a commitment to raise £100,000. 

With UK offices in Cardiff, Manchester and Glasgow, inspiresport organise bespoke school tours to iconic sporting destinations around the world. Rugby is a core part of the inspiresport business offering. Tours include trips to leading Premiership Clubs in the UK, Ireland and France as well as a recently announced tour with South Africa Rugby Travel which is only available through inspiresport.

Founded by Lawrence Dallaglio, the former England rugby captain, the Dallaglio Foundation's RugbyWorks engages young people who have been excluded from mainstream education. Delivered across 30 Pupil Referral Units and Alternative Provider (AP) schools in England and South Wales, RugbyWorks harnesses the values of rugby to build the confidence, belief and realisation of a positive future for disengaged young people. Through a long-term curriculum of skills development, mentoring and exposure to vocational opportunities, the charity builds them a pathway to a future in further education, apprenticeships or employment. 

After the success of the 2015 Rugby World Cup and the subsequent growth in demand for rugby tours, CEO Steve Butchart felt that a rugby charity was the right choice for the business.

“We looked at a number of charities across the sector and felt that the Dallaglio Foundation offered the best fit for our business. The Foundation works hard to motivate young people from difficult backgrounds to increase their sense of worth, self-confidence and self-esteem through the values of rugby.

“We work with teachers and pupils who appreciate the value sport brings to individuals of all ages. For this reason we felt the charity would appeal not only to our staff and customers but also suppliers and partners worldwide,” said Steve.

Inspiresport takes over 10,000 children a year on tours and part of the fundraising plan will include adding an optional nominal fee to bookings.

As part of a number of fundraising events, the Inspiresport team will also be running their own cycling event inspired by the Dallaglio Cycle Slam. The “Inspire Slam” will cover 213 miles from their Manchester office to their Cardiff office. A core cycling team from across the business will be joined by school teachers, suppliers and other members of the inspiresport UK team finishing with a grand finale in Cardiff in August.

Laurence Dallaglio of the Dallaglio Foundation said: “We are extremely excited to be working with inspiresport. The enthusiasm and energy their team have shown for fundraising will no doubt yield great results for the charity. We share the same values and a core partnership for both organisations is Under Armour.

“We look forward to working with the inspiresport team and their customers raising the profile of the Dallaglio Foundation and our work with the hardest to reach young people in England and South Wales.”

ENDS

For media enquiries or further information on inspiresport contact Sarah Johnson at Lotus on sarah@wearelotus.co.uk or 0207 953 7470.

About inspiresport:

• Founded in 2004 inspiresport operate over 200 school tours a year. 

• inspiresport.com is the only specialist sports travel company to be endorsed by the UK's leading governing bodies for schools sports travel including English Schools Football Association, Scottish Youth Football Association, Scottish Schools Football Association, Welsh Schools Football Association and Welsh Colleges Football Association.

• With offices in Cardiff, Manchester, Glasgow and Palma de Mallorca, Spain inspiresport have international partnerships to sell their tours in markets including China, United Arab Emirates and USA.

About 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 or contact Jo Bailey at jo@dallagliofoundation.com

Registered charity number: 1130353