Rugby will touch the lives of thousands of young people from under-represented communities, as part of an ambitious new project from Premiership Rugby and England Rugby.

Project Rugby launches today (18 October) with the specific aim of reaching black, Asian and minority ethnic groups, low socio-economic groups and people with disabilities, increasing diversity in the game.

England’s rugby bodies have joined forces, with the target of attracting 12,000 participants aged 14 to 24 by summer 2018.

They aim to make the game more accessible by providing new opportunities for people to play rugby union at more than 200 community locations across England, and then to transition the new players and volunteers into local rugby clubs.

Funded by a major investment, the project will utilise rugby’s core values to increase levels of resilience and confidence among participants, as well as helping people to feel more connected to their local community.

“Project Rugby combines the assets of the professional clubs and the governing body to help the game reach out to new communities,” said Wayne Morris, community and corporate social responsibility director at Premiership Rugby. “This groundbreaking initiative will see young people from disadvantaged communities, black, Asian and ethnic minority groups and people with disabilities across England, given the opportunity to participate in regular rugby activity.

“We’ll be putting rugby on the agenda for the first time for many participants.”

Steve Grainger, rugby development director at England Rugby, added: “The Project Rugby partnership with Premiership Rugby is incredibly significant for rugby union in England, as we aim to demonstrate that it can be a sport for everyone.

“Having all 14 Premiership Rugby partner clubs actively engaging with these communities gives us a fantastic reach across the country and we’re looking forward to seeing new people participating in the game.

“Rugby has a unique ability to increase self-confidence and wellbeing, as well as bringing people together and we want as many people as possible to benefit from the sport.”

For more information or to find out about a Project Rugby session near you, click here.