Leigh Leopards Team Up with Family Care in Exciting New Community Partnership
The three-time Rugby League Challenge Cup winners will be working closely with Family Care, based in Chorley, to help boost opportunities for young people, particularly those with special needs and disabilities, to get involved in the sport and actively take part.
Leigh Leopards player, Umyla Hanley, with children from the Leigh Leopards Foundation
The two organisations will also be working together to help raise greater awareness of the urgent need for more foster carers in the local area.
Latest figures provided by the Education Sector regulator Ofsted show that there has been a sharp 10 per cent decline in the number of available foster carers nationally since 2021. In response, the Government has pledged to try and create 10,000 new places for vulnerable children across the country, a move which Family Care is supporting.
Leigh Leopards are already keen to increase accessibility opportunities for local fans who are keen to take up rugby and have recently launched their own wheelchair Rugby League team, as well as a team for children with learning difficulties.
In 2023, they also launched the Leigh Leopards Player Development Pathway, which provides training opportunities for over 150 young players from Leigh and the North West.
Now the club will be working closely with Family Care to extend playing and training opportunities for young people and those with special needs, with the launch of special community training sessions, link-ups with Family Care’s special educational needs schools and the chance for local foster families to get more involved with the sport.
Leigh Leopards player, Nathan Wilde, with children from the Leigh Leopards Foundation
Ephraim Mudere, Practice Manager for Family Care Group, said: “This is a really exciting opportunity for us at Family Care to work with one of the leading Super League clubs in the North West to both boost playing and learning opportunities for young people in the region, including those from our own fostering and special educational needs community.
“We are also hoping that our work with Leigh Leopards will help to increase awareness of the very urgent need for more foster carers from the local community. It is so important that we do increase fostering support for vulnerable children and young people, and if the efforts of the club and ourselves with this partnership can help to do this, then that has to be good news.”
With the new partnership, Family Care will also be working with the club on a number of other potential community initiatives during the season, including community days and team engagements, giving young aspiring players in the local area a chance to meet the players from the club face-to-face.
Hannah Forbes, Programmes Director for Leigh Leopards Foundation Trust, said: “This partnership between Leigh Leopards Foundation and Family Care represents a powerful coming together of two organisations that share a deep commitment to supporting our local community.
"There is a clear link between our values, particularly around inclusion, early support, and creating opportunities for individuals and families to thrive. We are excited about what we can achieve together and look forward to building a strong, lasting partnership that delivers meaningful benefits for the local area and hopefully beyond.”
