England Touch and In2Touch to deliver touch rugby to UK civil servants to support mental and physical wellbeing

England Touch and In2Touch have been selected by the Civil Service Sports Council (CSSC) to deliver touch rugby to its 140,000 thousand members over the next two years aimed at increasing participation and supporting the mental and physical wellbeing of the country’s civil servants.

Touch rugby has been identified by CSSC as one of the sports that will support the mental and physical wellbeing of the country’s civil servants due to its low barriers to entry level participation and its commitment to inclusivity, diversity and equality, with England Touch chosen as the organisation delivery partner.

The partnership builds on a longstanding connection between CSSC and England Touch (ETA), with London Eagles, one of ETA’s largest and most successful clubs, receiving funding and ongoing support from CSSC and helping the club produce more than tens of international players into the ETA’s high performance set-up, with 20 individuals helping England to record results at the 2023 European Touch Championships and Atlantic Youth Touch Cup.

With half a million civil servants across the country, this new partnership has the potential to expand touch rugby’s recent growth dramatically, and the ETA – along with its preferred league provider, In2Touch – is committoed to working with any CSSC member who wishes to set up taster sessions, teams, or local competitions.

Over the last few months, the ETA and In2Touch have supported four of the CSSC’s workplace health and wellness events, and ETA General Manager, Sammie Phillips, is excited by the new partnership.

“It’s always enjoyable to work with a new partner, and it is a massive positive for the ETA as an organisation and touch rugby as a whole that CSSC has embraced the potential to use our sport to help improve health and wellbeing among our civil servants,” she commented.

“The growth of London Eagles into one of England’s biggest and best Touch clubs is a direct case study for the positive impact that support from the CSSC can have, and we are more than happy to help with advice and information about how to start and develop a club.

“Meanwhile In2Touch are ideally placed to support the launch of local competitions and leagues, and through working collaboratively together, the ETA, In2Touch and the CSSC can develop a fantastic partnership that can last for a long time.”

CSSC Chief Executive Matt Bazeley added: “Touch Rugby is a sport which is aligned to a number of CSSC’s values including diversity and equality and we’re delighted to bring England Touch on as our delivery partner.

“At CSSC we’re passionate about supporting wellbeing, improving work-life balance and helping our members live an active and fulfilled life.

“Touch Rugby is a fantastic sport for all ages and abilities because of its low barrier to entry and we look forward to working with England Touch to empower our members to take up the sport."

Across the year CSSC run a number of high-profile sporting events for its members including an upcoming rugby festival event on Wednesday 20 September in Maidenhead Rugby Club which will showcase Rugby Union, Women’s Rugby and Touch Rugby.

If you're a civil servant looking to dive into the exciting realm of organising a Touch event, there's a wealth of resources available to help you create a memorable and successful opportunity. To explore this further, consider reaching out to the CSSC which is a fantastic resource for information, guidance, and support in setting up, providing resource and running events of this nature. 

For more details and to connect with CSSC, visit the website. They offer a range of contact options, so you can choose the most convenient method to reach out and get the assistance you need.