SALE SHARKS FOUNDATION AND MBNA BRING YOUNG PEOPLE TOGETHER FOR ANNUAL INCLUSIVE RUGBY FESTIVAL
Sale Sharks Foundation, in partnership with MBNA, welcomed young people from SEN schools across the North West to CorpAcq Stadium for its annual ‘Tackle Together’ Festival.
Now in its fourth year, the festival invites participants to take part in a variety of inclusive rugby-based activities, including skill-building sessions, tag rugby games and team challenges led by Sale Sharks Foundation’s community coaches.
Throughout the day, participants also had the chance to meet Luke James from the Sale Sharks Men’s team, before celebrating their achievements with a closing ceremony and medals.
Victoria Dowd, Community Investment Manager at MBNA, which sponsors the Tackle Together programme, said:
“It’s always fantastic to see the Tackle Together Festival in action and to see the confidence it gives young people to get more involved in sport.
“Everyone deserves the chance to feel included and experience what it means to be part of a team. We’re incredibly proud to work alongside the Sale Sharks Foundation to help remove barriers and make that possible for more people across the region.”
The festival forms part of the Foundation’s Tackle Together programme, a wider set of disability and inclusion sessions, which uses rugby to create accessible opportunities for children and young people with disabilities and additional needs.
The programme also includes the Crusaders Fin Club, which offers non-contact tag rugby sessions every other Sunday at Sale Sharks’ Carrington Training Centre for people with Down’s syndrome.
Faye Richardson, Education and Community Inclusion Lead at Sale Sharks, added:
“Tackle Together is a brilliant example of how rugby can create opportunities for everyone, regardless of ability or experience.
“We’re proud of what the Foundation has created through Tackle Together and grateful to MBNA for its continued support in helping us make rugby more accessible for everyone.”
According to Sale Sharks Foundation’s latest Social Value Impact Report, Tackle Together generated £871,841 in social value during 2024/25, by increasing access to physical activity, supporting personal development and mental health, improving social integration and raising awareness of disability.
Urooj Karim, Teaching Assistant at Redwood School in Rochdale, said:
“To take part in an event like this is huge for our students. It helps them socialise, get active and build relationship skills through working with one another as a team and with members of the wider community.
“This is one of the best opportunities that schools like ours have. Without sessions like this, where else would these students have the chance to experience top-notch coaching from amazing coaches and professionals?
“We’d love to say a huge thank you to Sale Sharks Foundation and MBNA for making it happen.”
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