Rossendale Rugby Club is the latest organisation to be highlighted as part of Rossendale Council’s Year of Sport initiative, with the borough placing significant emphasis on the club’s role in community participation, junior rugby development and accessible sporting opportunities at Marl Pits.
The spotlight feature forms part of a wider campaign launched by Rossendale Council to showcase sport and physical activity organisations across the borough throughout 2026. Different sports and clubs have been profiled during the year as part of the council’s broader strategy to encourage participation and raise awareness of local sporting opportunities. According to the council’s published statement, Rossendale Rugby Club has established itself as “a long-established club at the heart of the community”, offering opportunities for players, supporters and families from across the borough.The Local Authority stated that the club’s activity extends beyond competitive rugby and includes senior teams, junior development and wider community engagement programmes. The release also described the organisation as playing “an important role in keeping residents active and connected”.
The campaign forms part of a broader strategy to increase involvement in sport across the borough. The strategy was developed through Rossendale Connected, a borough-wide partnership network established following the Covid-19 pandemic. Representatives from sport, health and community organisations meet regularly as part of the network to discuss wellbeing and physical activity across Rossendale. According to local authority representatives, one of the core objectives behind the strategy was to raise the profile of sport and physical activity across the borough. Officials said the Year of Sport campaign was designed as one way of supporting that objective by highlighting a different sport each month and promoting clubs operating within Rossendale.
Creating a more active valley
Rossendale Council said the strategy underpinning the Year of Sport campaign is centred on creating a more “active valley”. It is built around three themes: Active Environments, Active People and Active Communities, with the overall aim of reducing inactivity while increasing physical activity across the borough.
The strategy was developed over around 18 months through consultation events, engagement sessions and discussions with residents, community groups and sports clubs.
The council said the strategy aligns with national physical activity objectives, including Sport England’s Uniting The Movement strategy and wider public health priorities. Participation data and demographic information informed its development, while Sport England’s Active Lives survey is being used to measure activity levels, inactivity rates, volunteering and participation across Rossendale and compare them with other local authorities.
The strategy also identifies women and girls, disabled residents and older people as priority groups. The council said inclusivity sits at the heart of the approach, with the Year of Sport campaign intended to raise awareness of opportunities to be active across the borough.
Rossendale Rugby Club as a community hub
Throughout the council’s spotlight feature, Rossendale Rugby Club is presented as more than a competitive sports club. It describes the organisation as “more than just a place to watch or play rugby” and instead a “welcoming community hub” where people of all ages and abilities can become involved.
According to the press release, the club provides opportunities for residents to become involved either as players, supporters or participants in broader community activity. The statement also linked the club’s work to wider social connection and local wellbeing.
Rossendale Rugby Club is one of a series of organisations featured through the Year of Sport campaign, which aims to encourage residents to become more active by showcasing clubs across the borough. Previous features have included football, badminton and squash, with bowls and cycling due to follow. The council stressed that no single club is being promoted above others, with each spotlight intended to highlight opportunities within that particular sport.
Junior rugby and links with local schools
The council placed particular emphasis on Rossendale Rugby Club’s Minis and Juniors section, describing it as one of the club’s “major strengths” and saying it continues to grow year on year. According to the council, young players benefit from a “structured and supportive environment” where they are able to enjoy rugby while developing confidence and wider life skills. It also praised the work of the club’s qualified coaches, whose sessions focus on respect and positive sporting experiences as well as player development. The council also highlighted the club’s links with local schools, saying they help create pathways into community sport and encourage long-term participation.
During discussions about the wider physical activity strategy, council representatives also highlighted the borough’s School Games programme. Officials stated that every primary school and all high schools within Rossendale are connected to the programme through the borough’s School Games organiser. According to council representatives, the programme focuses on movement, sport and physical activity opportunities for children and young people across Rossendale schools.
While the council has not published figures showing how many pupils move from school sport into Rossendale Rugby Club, it identified youth development as an important part of the club’s wider community role.
Walking rugby widens access to sport
Inclusivity is a recurring theme throughout both the spotlight feature and the council’s wider physical activity strategy. The release stated that Rossendale Rugby Club maintains “a clear focus on welcoming players regardless of experience, fitness level or background”. According to the council, that approach has become an important part of the organisation’s outreach and participation activity. Particular attention was given to walking touch rugby, which the authority described as a “newer, more accessible” format available through the club.
Council representatives said the club previously received Sport England-backed funding through the Together Fund and Active Futures programme, delivered in partnership with Rossendale Leisure Trust, to establish weekly walking rugby sessions aimed primarily at older residents. The council stated that increasing accessibility and reducing barriers to participation formed key parts of the wider strategy. Consultation identified cost, time pressures, work-life balance and family responsibilities as some of the barriers affecting participation in sport and physical activity, particularly for women and girls The authority said a number of initiatives have been designed to address those barriers and widen access to sport across the borough.
Measuring the campaign’s impact
The council said the Year of Sport campaign was intended to support long-term participation rather than serve as a short-term promotional exercise. Feedback from sports clubs, following the conclusion of the campaign, will be gathered in order to assess how organisations experienced the initiative and whether improvements could be made. According to council representatives, surveys and feedback exercises are expected to form part of future planning connected to the programme. Progress will also be monitored through Rossendale’s Population Health Board and the Physical Activity and Sport Steering Group, which includes Rossendale Council, NHS organisations, Rossendale Leisure Trust and other health and community partners.
Annual action plans and wider governance arrangements will be used to track delivery of the strategy. The council acknowledged it is too early to determine whether the campaign has increased participation or club membership, but said future assessments will use Sport England Active Lives data alongside feedback from clubs. One measure of success, the council added, will be whether the campaign helps identify and engage additional sports clubs and community organisations.
Encouraging greater participation
Through its spotlight on Rossendale Rugby Club, the council presents the organisation as both a long-established rugby club and a community hub offering opportunities for people of all ages. Senior rugby, youth development and accessible activities such as walking touch rugby are all highlighted as examples of how local clubs can support wider health and wellbeing.
The feature also reinforces the aims of Rossendale’s Physical Activity and Sport Strategy, with inclusivity, accessibility and long-term participation running throughout both the strategy and the Year of Sport campaign. As more clubs are profiled over the coming months, the council hopes the initiative will encourage more residents to discover local sporting opportunities and become more active.
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