SCHOOLS ACTIVITY
Get your School playing Rugby League!
There are multiple opportunities for your school to play rugby league depending on their age and experience. These include Tag competitions for Years 5, 6 & 7, Nines Competitions for Emerging Schools, and the National Champion Schools Competition for more experienced schools.
If you are interested in your school taking part, please contact us today!
London Youth Games - Tag Rugby - Years 5&6 and Year 7
The London Youth Games provides competitive sporting opportunities to over 100,000 young people across 32 boroughs across London every year.
In 2026 the London Youth Games will include schools tag rugby league competitions for Year 5&6 (Mixed Girls & Boys) and Year 7 (separate Girls and Boys competitions). These competitions are supported by the RFL, the London Rugby League Foundation and Try Tag Rugby.
The Finals event will be held at Gunnersbury Park in June, with many boroughs holding qualifying competitions before then, in order to select the school to represent the borough at the Finals.
If you would like your school to take part please contact the London Youth Games, or email us at londonrugbyleaguefoundationorg@gmail.com.
InspiredBy 9s for Emerging Schools
The InspiredBy 9s is a 9 a side rugby league competition for Emerging Schools at Year 7 Girls, Year 7 Boys, Year 8 Girls and Year 8 Boys.
This competition is aimed at schools that don't play regularly weekly rugby matches, but would like to play some more competitive rugby. In London and the South-East there are competitions for the following:
In 2026 there will be local qualifying competitions between March and June, with Finals Days in June.
In 2025, congratulations to all the schools that made it through to the Finals, and especially to the Year 8 Girls winners, Oscar Romero, and the Year 8 Boys winners, Dorothy Stringer.
Year 8 Girls Finals Competition
Winners - Oscar Romero A, Worthing
Runners-Up - Oscar Romero B, Worthing
3rd & 4th - Ridgeway, Worcestershire
3rd & 4th - Woodfield Academy, Worcestershire
Year 8 Boys Finals Competition
Winners - Dorothy Stringer, Brighton
Runners-Up - Cleve School, Gloucestershire
3rd Place - Kingsdale, Dulwich
4th Place - Ridgeway, Worcestershire
5th Place - Birchensale, Worcestershire
If you would like to take part next year, please email Steve Guan at the RFL at Stephen.Guan@rfl.co.uk, or email us at londonrugbyleaguefoundationorg.com.
National Champion Schools
The National Champions Schools is the flagship schools rugby league competition in the UK, with hundreds of schools across the country taking part across U12s, U13s, U14s, U15s and U16s. The competition is aimed at schools who play regular rugby matches, but is still a great opportunity for more competitive action.
For 2024/25, Congratulations to the Champions and Finalists for London & South-East:
Year 7 - Langley Park beat Castle View 30-0
Year 8 - Dorothy Stringer beat Howard of Effingham 38-22
Year 9 - St James Boys beat Howard of Effingham 38-12
Year 10 - St James Boys beat Kingsdale 48-6
Year 11 - Hemel Hempstead beat Howard of Effingham 22-18
In the National Knock-Out rounds for each age group:
Year 7 - Langley Park beat Ryburn Valley from Halfax 20-14. They then travelled to St Helens to play Rainford High School for a place in the Semi-Final but lost 30-4.
Year 8 - Dorothy Stringer travelled to Hull KR's Craven Park, to face Archbishop Sentamu in the last 12 of the competition, losing a close match 28-24.
Year 9 - St James Boys travelled to Cumbria and narrowly missed out on a place in the quarter-final, losing 28-24 to St Bernard's.
Year 10 - St James Boys travelled to St Benedicts in Whitehaven, playing the match at the Ortus Rec Stadium, home of Whitehaven RLFC. Again they narrowly missed out on a place in the Quarter-Final, losing 34-26.
Year 11 - Hemel Hempstead school hosted Bridgewater from Warrington and were beaten 52-6.
For 2025/26 there will be local qualifying competitions taking place across London & South- East in October & November, before a London Festival in December. The London Final between the top two teams takes place in Jan/Feb and the winner will enter the National Knock-Out Rounds in March.
If you would like to take part, please email Steve Guan at the RFL at Stephen.Guan@rfl.co.uk, or email us at londonrugbyleaguefoundationorg@gmail.com.
Direct Rugby Coaching in Schools
The Foundation supports some direct coaching in schools, and some local rugby league competitions, where possible.
Notably, the Foundation has recently been awarded a significant grant by Sport England, to provide Rugby League Coaching to schools and students in Walworth, in inner city London.
Elsehwere the Foundation supports Community Clubs in the delivery of Schools sessions in several Boroughs including schools in Croydon, Lambeth, Southwark and Wandsworth.
If you would like the Foundation to help with rugby league coaching at your school please email us at londonrugbyleaguefoundationorg@gmail.com.
