Ten By Ten launches today. How else can we grow Rugby League down South?

[Andrew Foster]

Today we're launching Ten by Ten, and I'd like to hear what users of this board thinks of it, and what else we could be doing.

First, the appeal itself. It's the 21st, 10 days left in June, and 10 days left of the London Foundation's June campaign. The idea is simple. If we find 10 people to give £10 each day for the rest of the month, that's another £1,000 raised. 10 people today. 10 new people tomorrow. 10 more new people on Tuesday and so on.

What's it for? Growing rugby league across London and the South. More homegrown players coming through, the next Kai Pearce-Paul, the next Emily Bell. People forget Martin Offiah was born in Hackney. The talent has always been down here. It just needs a strong game around it to come through.

And it's not just about superstars. You can be a very average player and still make a massive contribution off the field. There are more and more people from the M25 corridor (see what I did there?) developing that lifelong love of the game that we all have, and we want there to be even more.

The reason it's framed the way it is matters. Ten by Ten is meant to reach people in the game's heartlands and beyond who care about where rugby league goes next, and give them a light-touch way to put something into its growth in the South. You don't have to move to Basingstoke and put cones out every weekend. A tenner, a share, or a good idea all count.

And that last one is why I'm posting. I've spent the last few weeks talking to community club leaders across London and the South East, and some really promising initiatives have come out of those conversations. I'll be able to share more as they firm up, but I'm aware that none of us has all the answers, and the people on here have seen plenty of what works and what doesn't.

So two things:

• If you can back it, then donate and/or share the GoFund Me and help the Ten by Ten. The link and a suggested message is below.
• But I'm just as interested in your thinking. How do we raise funds efficiently and spread the net wider? What's actually worked at your club? What's a waste of time? 

A strong club needs a strong league to play in, and that league needs a strong foundation behind it. Getting that right is a conversation worth having properly, so I await your responses with interest

 

 

Quote

 

Ten by Ten is a 10-day push to raise £1,000 for rugby league across London and the South, running to the end of June. The idea is simple: 10 people giving £10 a day. The money goes towards growing the game down here, more homegrown players coming through and more chances to play at every level. You can help by giving a tenner or by sharing this on. Every bit counts.

https://gofund.me/f68db2cb7

If you want an even shorter version to drop into a message:

Ten by Ten: 10 people, £10 a day, to the end of June, raising £1,000 to grow rugby league in London and the South. Give or share, every bit helps. https://gofund.me/f68db2cb7

 

 

 

 

Cheers,

Andrew Foster

Edited June 21 by Andrew Foster
clarity

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

Andrew raises an important point here. Having spent the last year helping establish the South Bank Sharks and the Getting Match Fit programme in Southwark, I'd argue that the issue in London isn't a lack of talent or interest — it's a lack of opportunities and visible pathways.

Many of our young people had never played rugby league before. Yet we've already seen regular participation, girls engaging with the game, young people training as match officials and players progressing into representative environments.

We've discovered that there is no shortage of young people interested in rugby league in inner London. The challenge is creating enough opportunities for them to stay involved.

What has worked for us has been:

• Taking the game into schools rather than expecting people to find a club.

• Linking rugby league to education, leadership, volunteering and future employment opportunities.

• Creating multiple pathways so any success isn't judged solely by producing professional players.

The next KPP or Emily Bell may well come from London, but just as importantly so might the next coach, referee, volunteer, administrator or community leader.

If we're serious about growing the game in London and the South, investment in schools, community clubs, volunteers and local foundations is every bit as important as investment at the professional end of the game.

South London alone has hundreds of thousands of young people. The talent has always been here. The opportunity often hasn't.

I'd be interested to hear what others have found to be successful, particularly around schools, participation and retaining young people in the game.

To add to this there are some phenomenal people involved in RL down here and they deserve the support from the RL Family that Andrew’s initiative is attempting.

Edited June 21 by Pen-Y-Bont Crusader

[Archie Gordon]

What does the £5k go on? I get the impression that balls, kit, CPD for coaches, etc., are an issue but not THE issue. The big hole that needs filling is volunteers and £ doesn't do much there - or does it? I'd love to know.

This is not to discourage anyone from chipping in. It just feels as if we are always asking for contributions but we are still without any sense of a plan for London/SE RL. And I do feel that the Broncos should be putting more resources in here as well as the Foundation asking for money.

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

56 minutes ago, Archie Gordon said:

What does the £5k go on? I get the impression that balls, kit, CPD for coaches, etc., are an issue but not THE issue. The big hole that needs filling is volunteers and £ doesn't do much there - or does it? I'd love to know.

This is not to discourage anyone from chipping in. It just feels as if we are always asking for contributions but we are still without any sense of a plan for London/SE RL. And I do feel that the Broncos should be putting more resources in here as well as the Foundation asking for money.

We are fortunate to shortly start benefitting from our LSBU Group connection and having physio and rehab students at training and games. The key in my mind is to properly align clubs with educational institutions and ensure that this does not stop at a particular school. It’s has to include colleges/sixth forms (biggest age group issue here) and on into universities and employers. There has to be a REAL ecosystem to support rl down here otherwise it becomes one club here, one club there a few schools and one or two/several hugely committed people at each one until the burnout/move away. And that requires investment IN the people involved as I and AG allude to. We have pledged that 20-25% of all of our funds will go to player development (not just as players but as coaches refs, people with transferable skills in and out of the game that benefits them).That’s where you get belonging IMO.

Edited June 21 by Pen-Y-Bont Crusader

[dealwithit]

1 hour ago, Pen-Y-Bont Crusader said:

We are fortunate to shortly start benefitting from our LSBU Group connection and having physio and rehab students at training and games. The key in my mind is to properly align clubs with educational institutions and ensure that this does not stop at a particular school. It’s has to include colleges/sixth forms (biggest age group issue here) and on into universities and employers. There has to be a REAL ecosystem to support rl down here otherwise it becomes one club here, one club there a few schools and one or two/several hugely committed people at each one until the burnout/move away. And that requires investment IN the people involved as I and AG allude to. We have pledged that 20-25% of all of our funds will go to player development (not just as players but as coaches refs, people with transferable skills in and out of the game that benefits them).That’s where you get belonging IMO.

Interesting what you say about college/sixth form. I can only comment on my experience playing, refereeing and coaching in regional Australia. The age group you mention was always difficult to fill teams. It’s an interesting age with more choice, more self discovery, chasing girls, getting a car license, etc. 
I wonder if it would have been different for my area if clubs were better linked to career opportunities/mentoring etc. How do you make a club a proposition that older teenagers don’t want to miss out on…

[Andrew Foster]

5 hours ago, Archie Gordon said:

What does the £5k go on? I get the impression that balls, kit, CPD for coaches, etc., are an issue but not THE issue. The big hole that needs filling is volunteers and £ doesn't do much there - or does it? I'd love to know.

This is not to discourage anyone from chipping in. It just feels as if we are always asking for contributions but we are still without any sense of a plan for London/SE RL. And I do feel that the Broncos should be putting more resources in here as well as the Foundation asking for money.

Thanks Archie -  here's what the funds are earmarked for:

 

• Coaching qualifications and volunteer development
• Rugby league activities in local schools
• Playing kit and equipment for players who need it
• Grassroots club support and player opportunities

 

The clubs do a great job raising funds for their own activities, and to your point, sourcing volunteers.

 

If we can also have a strong foundation supporting initiatives that go across the competitions in the south, then that will only help the clubs get more return on that.

 

But it's useful to know what people are thinking when they see an appeal like this, and I'll include that in my report when this is concluded.

 

I'm working with the Foundation and the clubs to try and develop what we do - the Ten by Ten appeal is an effort to find 100 RL fans who care enough about RL in the south to commit £10 now. But this is a starting point rather than an endpoint.

 

[Andrew Foster]

Day 1's Ten complete... many thanks to...

1.     David Ballheimer

2.     Eden Clayton

3.     Robert Forrest

4.     Daniel Fowler

5.     James Gosling

6.     Thomas Grafton

7.     Stuart Hogg

8.     Truth Talking Maverick

9.     Catriona Scallon

10.  David Wood

If you want to be part of the Day 2 10, you don't need to wait, I'm counting anyone from now as part of Day 2.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-community-rugby-league-in-london-southeast

 

Keep the conversation going though - what do you want to see rugby league clubs and organisations doing in order to fund their activities? What are we not doing enough?

[Amber Avenger]

I really like this idea - not just the hook to get people in but the conversation starting potential it's got here. 

I can't speak too much to London specifically and I'm not at the coal face of RL development, but I hope we can face into the strengths the game has and accentuate those - your point about being an "average player" and making a difference has got me thinking, I think that's probably true of everyone who has pulled on an RL shirt or just gone down to support their local club, be it SL or your village reserves and perhaps there is something we can tap into here? Even if you're slicing up the oranges for the kids you are doing your bit...? In an increasingly virtual world, people are looking for community and real connection more than ever and maybe there is something in that if we can show we can provide it to people. Obviously we don't want to play too much into the stereotype of RL being small time, but there is something in it being for everyone

I won't patronise the people who do this day in and out any further, but really like the idea and hope it pays dividends - both literally and with genuinely useful intel

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

Eight in today .. anyone fancy making it two days of ten ? 

[Andrew Foster]

4 hours ago, Amber Avenger said:

I really like this idea - not just the hook to get people in but the conversation starting potential it's got here. 

I can't speak too much to London specifically and I'm not at the coal face of RL development, but I hope we can face into the strengths the game has and accentuate those - your point about being an "average player" and making a difference has got me thinking, I think that's probably true of everyone who has pulled on an RL shirt or just gone down to support their local club, be it SL or your village reserves and perhaps there is something we can tap into here? Even if you're slicing up the oranges for the kids you are doing your bit...? In an increasingly virtual world, people are looking for community and real connection more than ever and maybe there is something in that if we can show we can provide it to people. Obviously we don't want to play too much into the stereotype of RL being small time, but there is something in it being for everyone

I won't patronise the people who do this day in and out any further, but really like the idea and hope it pays dividends - both literally and with genuinely useful intel

Many thanks AA - I think that is a great point about RL standing out in an increasingly digital world.

I don't think it's a coincidence that the (likely) new PM clearly sees it as to his advantage to be RL-aligned. There is an authenticity about RL that you can't manufacture or buy, that is recognised beyond the game's supporters.

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

On 21/06/2026 at 09:43, Pen-Y-Bont Crusader said:

Andrew raises an important point here. Having spent the last year helping establish the South Bank Sharks and the Getting Match Fit programme in Southwark, I'd argue that the issue in London isn't a lack of talent or interest — it's a lack of opportunities and visible pathways.

Many of our young people had never played rugby league before. Yet we've already seen regular participation, girls engaging with the game, young people training as match officials and players progressing into representative environments.

We've discovered that there is no shortage of young people interested in rugby league in inner London. The challenge is creating enough opportunities for them to stay involved.

What has worked for us has been:

• Taking the game into schools rather than expecting people to find a club.

• Linking rugby league to education, leadership, volunteering and future employment opportunities.

• Creating multiple pathways so any success isn't judged solely by producing professional players.

The next KPP or Emily Bell may well come from London, but just as importantly so might the next coach, referee, volunteer, administrator or community leader.

If we're serious about growing the game in London and the South, investment in schools, community clubs, volunteers and local foundations is every bit as important as investment at the professional end of the game.

South London alone has hundreds of thousands of young people. The talent has always been here. The opportunity often hasn't.

I'd be interested to hear what others have found to be successful, particularly around schools, participation and retaining young people in the game.

To add to this there are some phenomenal people involved in RL down here and they deserve the support from the RL Family that Andrew’s initiative is attempting.

Whilst I’m on this point, all of this work in S London schools has been done by one person over the last few years which highlights their huge support for the game but also how difficult this challenge has been.
 

Seriously, we are playing catch up to an ever evolving and RL aware RU set up across London and are making small inroads into that. The way to meet that challenge is to support with ideas and good practise as well as a tenner !   

[Andrew Foster]

Just hit our target for Day 2… Day 3 starts here… 

[JM2010]

Done

[dealwithit]

Done  

[Andrew Foster]

Many thanks all! Not only have we completed Day 2's Ten by Ten, but we are halfway to Day 3's already.

Part of my thinking here is expansionists vs traditionalists (sometimes called flatcappers which started off as a pejorative but since co-opted with pride by some) is one of the biggest fault lines in the rugby league online community.

So this is possibly an outlet for expansionists to demonstrate that they aren't just talk.

And indeed for traditionalists to show that they aren't against people in other areas playing, just for realism in strategic decisions for the future of the sport.

Hopefully £10 sets the bar at a level that allows most people to contribute?

That's my thinking. What's yours?

[Andrew Foster]

Out of interest, out of people who have donated or are planning to, who would see themselves as expansionists, who would see themselves as traditionalists, and who would say neither?

And can we think of an equivalent to fervent traditionalist for expansionists? 

[Andrew Foster]

(Didn't realise that term was autocorrected on here! Though making it plural seems to evade the bot)

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

44 minutes ago, Andrew Foster said:

Out of interest, out of people who have donated or are planning to, who would see themselves as expansionists, who would see themselves as traditionalists, and who would say neither?

And can we think of an equivalent to fervent traditionalist for expansionists? 

Fervent expansionist here. Love the tradition in the game but without expanding the game will wither and shrivel.

Edited June 23 by Pen-Y-Bont Crusader

[Andrew Foster]

Cuckoolander? 

[JM2010]

I’d say I’m an expansionist but with a bigger focus on grassroots 

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

26 minutes ago, JM2010 said:

I’d say I’m an expansionist but with a bigger focus on grassroots 

Without grassroots we have nothing. 

[JM2010]

3 minutes ago, Pen-Y-Bont Crusader said:

Without grassroots we have nothing. 

Exactly 

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

Are we at ten for today yet ? 

[Pen-Y-Bont Crusader]

12 hours ago, Andrew Foster said:

Cuckoolander? 

Traditional expansionist.

[Andrew Foster]

30 minutes ago, Pen-Y-Bont Crusader said:

Are we at ten for today yet ? 

One more needed by my reckoning.