Get ready for RugbyFest
RugbyFest 2025 | Celebrating Rugby Together | 3 – 6 October 2025
Launch your season with RugbyFest
RugbyFest is a nationwide celebration of rugby, taking place from Friday 3 to Monday 6 October 2025. It follows the conclusion of the Women’s Rugby World Cup in England and is a chance for communities to come together and celebrate the tournament.
Supported by the Red Roses, clubs, schools, colleges, universities and community organisations are invited to run their own local events, such as taster sessions, family fun days or mini festivals, to celebrate the sport, welcome new faces and mark the start of the season.
Why Run a RugbyFest Event?
Running a RugbyFest event helps your club:
- Celebrate rugby union at all levels
- Attract new players, supporters and volunteers
- Engage families and promote inclusion
- Inspire the next generation especially girls and young women
- Be part of a national movement, celebrating off the back of the Red Roses’ journey in the Women’s Rugby World Cup 2025
By registering your RugbyFest event, your club could:
- Be in with a chance to host a visit from a Red Rose
- Be one of the first 200 clubs to register and claim either a women and girls rugby event pack or a T1 Rugby equipment pack
- Enter a competition to SuperCharge your RugbyFest with a game-changing prize
*To enter the SuperCharge Your RugbyFest competition or to be eligible for a chance to host a Red Roses visit, your RugbyFest event must be registered by midnight on 10 August 2025.
Please read the Terms and Conditions before completing your registration.
What is 'SuperCharge your RugbyFest'?
Clubs have the opportunity to enter the competition to ‘SuperCharge’ your RugbyFest event.
The winning club will receive:
- Red Roses appearances to support your day
- Glitter tattoos and hair braiding
- Prize draw and spot prizes from our partners (incl. A VIP short break package which would make a great raffle prize!)
- A photo box
- Event photography for the day
- Tailored project management support from the RFU
The winning club will also receive tailored extras to help elevate their RugbyFest event.
How to get involved
- Read the Terms and Conditions
- Register your event by completing our form to host a RugbyFest event 3 and 6 October 2025.
- Plan, Promote, Celebrate!
Bring your RugbyFest to life! Organise your activities, invite your community and enjoy an unforgettable weekend celebrating the game we all love.
You can also list your event on FindRugby.com (available from the end of July) to spread the word even further.
The RFU will promote events through our socials and other channels.
Top Tips
Clubs, schools, colleges, universities, and community organisations from across the country.
We also welcome the support from CBs to help their clubs to put on RugbyFest events and attend events as much as possible!
Start with clear goals, such as:
- Raise your club’s profile
- Attract new players
- Build local partnerships
Then decide your date and time (anytime between 3-6 October), keeping your audience and local schedules in mind.
Use your club’s strengths, or simply enhance what’s already planned that weekend. Some ideas include:
- Rugby activities
Taster sessions (all ages and abilities)
Touch/T1 rugby tournaments
Mini games for kids
Skills zones or challenges (kicking, passing, sprinting) - Festival fun
Food and drink stalls (consider local vendors)
Music or DJ s
Inflatables and games for children
Tabletop games for all ages
Face painting or hair braiding
Photo frames with props and rugby kit
Club shop or kit sale - Community engagement
Club open house and tours
Meet the team / Q&A with players
Volunteer info point
Invite local schools, sports clubs, and community groups , such as – if you are Girl Guides, Scouts and WI Inclusion zones (e.g. quiet spaces, accessible seating) - Event logistics:
Safeguarding
Risk assessments
Insurance
Use multiple channels to spread the word:
- Club website and newsletter
- Social media (Instagram, Facebook, X)
- Posters in schools, shops, libraries, and leisure centres
- Press releases to local media
- Encourage club members to invite friends, family, and colleagues
- Local PR
Top Tip: Assign someone to take photos and videos throughout the event; these are great for promoting future activity and showing off your club.
Top tip: Create a countdown or teaser series on social media in the lead-up to the event!
To support you in promoting your event, we’ve also created a suite of assets that are available via the Resources page. The assets are editable so you can include your club logo and own images. The assets available include:
- Social media assets
- Social media frames
- Posters
- Template press release for local media
To ensure consistency in the campaign, we ask that you only use official assets for your RugbyFest event.
Assign roles to keep things running smoothly:
- Event lead
- Health and safety lead – conduct a risk assessment
- Safeguarding officer
- Volunteer lead – recruit and brief helpers
- Activity coordinators – for each zone/station
- Welcome team – to greet and guide visitors
- Comms and marketing team - to capture and share content
Top Tip: Hold at least one planning meeting in advance.
Follow up by:
- Sending a thank-you email to attendees
- Sharing photos and videos on social media
- Posting a recap story your website
Downloadable Assets
- RWC Club Activation Guide
- Playbook
- Marketing Assets (available at the end of July)
Additional Resources
FAQs
Clubs, affiliated to the RFU and based in England, can register their RugbyFest event using this form.
You’ll need to:
-
Run your event between 3 – 6 October 2025
-
Promote your event on England Rugby’s Find Rugby page (full guidance shared in July)
-
Encourage attendees to complete a short feedback survey via QR code during the event
-
Share content from your event that can be included in the wider PR drive
The first 200 registrations will receive an equipment pack, to support the event. One pack per organisation. See full details.
Schools, colleges, universities and community organisations can find out more information about how they can register here.
What's included in the equipment packs?
There are two packs for clubs to choose from;
-
Women & Girls event pack; 100 water bottles, 100 phone poppers and 1 banner
-
T1 equipment pack; 10 balls*, 15 bibs, 1 stack of cones and 1 ball bag.
*We're unable to guarantee a specific ball size as part of the T1 equipment pack.
How will we know if we’re getting an equipment pack?
If you are one of the first 200 clubs to register an event, we will notify you within two weeks of the closing date (10th August).
Anyone registering an event should ensure that the committee is aware they are registering it on the club’s behalf.
When will the packs be delivered?
Packs will be delivered in September. A delivery window will be provided closer to the time.
When will we find out if we’re getting a visit from a Red Rose?
Red Roses will be visiting a small number of events during RugbyFest. Clubs will be selected based on a combination of factors, including Red Roses availability and the club’s locality. Clubs will be notified in September if they have been selected.
My question hasn't been answered who can I contact?
If you have any other questions please visit Community Rugby Help and submit a help request.
What does the winning club receive?
The winning club will receive the following to help make their RugbyFest event even bigger and better.
-
Red Roses appearance at their RugbyFest event (subject to availability)
-
Resources for a Girls’ Activity station (including friendship bracelets, glitter tattoos and hair braiding)
-
Prize draw and spot prizes from our partners (incl. A VIP short break package which would make a great raffle prize). See full details.
-
A photo box
-
Event photography for the day
-
Tailored extras to help elevate your RugbyFest event
Who can enter SuperCharge your RugbyFest?
SuperCharge your RugbyFest is open to affiliated rugby clubs of the RFU, who have registered a RugbyFest event between 3-6 October.
To qualify, a club must have a women’s or girls’ team or be able to demonstrate that they are looking to develop one in 25/26, have their players registered on GMS, and agree to complete a short evaluation form, following the event.
Anyone from the club can enter the competition on the club’s behalf, but please ensure that the committee are aware.
You can find full details in the Terms and Conditions.
How do we enter?
We’re looking for you to tell us about how your event will harness the energy and momentum of the Rugby World Cup to bring people together and inspire new audiences to get involved in rugby.
Think about how your event will engage the wider community and inspire more people to try rugby, particularly women and girls, as well as how you would use the SuperCharge opportunity to elevate your event. We also want to know you’ll keep the momentum going after the event, so let us know how you’ll continue to grow interest and involvement in rugby after the event.
When do I need to enter the competition by?
The competition will close at midnight on the 10 August.
How will the entries be judged?
Entries will be judged on how the event will use the excitement of the Rugby World Cup to inspire new audiences and engage the wider community, with a particular focus on increasing participation among women and girls.
The panel will also be looking for creative ideas that will enhance the overall experience of attendees, and how well your club plans to keep the momentum going, and grow participation beyond RugbyFest.
Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of experienced rugby and community engagement specialists.
How will we know if we’ve won?
The winning club will be notified via email, on or after 22 August.
If we are selected as the winner are there any additional requirements?
The winning club’s organising committee will need to meet with the RFU staff on a regular basis in lead up to the event, to help plan it.
My question hasn't been answered who can I contact?
If you have any other questions please visit Community Rugby Help and submit a help request.
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