Grassroots Initiatives
From award-winning national grassroots programmes to spearheading global trials of new formats of sports, I have lead key initiatives aimed at getting younger audiences engaged and interested in participating in a number of sports.
O2 Touch | England Rugby & O2 | 2014 - 2018
I lead the a national engagement initiative which formed a key part of the England Rugby & O2 partnership agreement.
Over the four years which I lead the campaign I grew participation from a few hundred regular players to 30,000 weekly players across 450+ playing venues.
Addressing major participation challenges for the sport 70% of players were aged 16-29 and 35% were female.
This mixed, non-contact format of rugby offered a safe and welcoming environment for those new to the sport. I pioneered the addition of music played alongside the sessions with weekly mixes provided by a range of up and coming DJs. We worked with a renowned exercise scientist to prove the beneficial effect of music on group sport in particular and invested in portable sound units for each centre.
I introduced a game-changing app which geo-fenced locations and allowed players to check-in and receive rewards and incentives based on playing regularity. In turn the programme received detailed data to track how it was progressing nationally.
O2 Touch Promo Explainer
UV O2 Touch
O2 Touch x Music
Activations: Trafalgar Square
X-Rugby | England Rugby x World Rugby | 2017-19
I Led the global trials and successful implementation of a new rugby format, ‘X-Rugby’, in collaboration with World Rugby, New Zealand Rugby, Australia Rugby, and Ireland Rugby. I oversaw all phases of the programme’s assessment and rollout.
In addition, I led the naming, brand identity, positioning, and toolkit development for the format. Working with Matta Creative, I also produced the promotional campaign, including casting Reggie Yates as lead talent.
24/Sevens | England Rugby | 2016 - 2019
Sevens rugby is a faster, more exciting, and accessible format of the game, focused on speed and skill. With no national programme available at the grassroots level, I led the development and delivery of a new nationwide initiative to bridge that gap.
I oversaw every aspect of the programme — from naming and brand positioning to toolkit creation, programme structure, and resourcing. I also led the delivery of the national finals, held on location at Saracens’ StoneX Stadium and the iconic Recreation Ground in Bath.
The programme successfully engaged over 10,000 grassroots players, with 75% aged 18–29 and 20% identifying as female.