June 9-10, 2023 Cullera (Spain)
Trust Rugby International is a social enterprise operating in Scotland, Spain, the United States, New Zealand, and Canada. We create positive social environments for individuals with intellectual disabilities through the sport of rugby. We have a team of professionals with extensive experience in the fields of education, sports, and inclusion, who, through training, establish the necessary connections to form an inclusive rugby team within a conventional rugby club.
We have extensive teaching experience, which has allowed us to develop courses with an innovative methodology that delves deep into all the needs, desires, and challenges posed by an inclusive rugby project.
Since 2014, we have conducted courses in both Scotland and Spain, providing practical and dynamic explanations of the roles of all the involved stakeholders. In 2018, we delivered courses for the Valencian Rugby Federation and the Spanish Rugby Federation. In collaboration with the Spanish Rugby Federation, we designed the first Inclusive Rugby Coach course endorsed by a national federation. As members of the Spirit of Rugby program, we have the responsibility to develop a document of best practices and create a course model that, after passing all security and medical filters, will be endorsed by World Rugby.
Since 2020, we have been involved in the VARIED project, co-financed by the European Union under the ERASMUS+ plan. In this project, led by the Cullera City Council, we promote the recruitment, training, and retention of volunteers using the development model of Trust Rugby International. This project has led us to conduct our training courses in Austria and Italy, and soon we will do so in Bulgaria and France.
Trajectory of the inclusive team
Our main project is the team, El Clan Tri-Espurna, which was formed within the Cullera Rugby Club. We started training with a group in 2014 and have successfully transformed individuals who had never played sports before into athletes who now have a group of friends in the Cullera senior team. As important as participating in sports is the fact that they have become avid fans who cheer on their teammates from the stands during senior team games.
In June 2015 and June 2016, we participated in the national tournament in Vitoria, where we enjoyed our first competitions.
In September 2016, we organized and took part in the first International Inclusive Rugby Festival in Cullera. And now, in 2023, we are celebrating the sixth edition of this festival.
We also participated in the IMART2017 World Tournament held in Vitoria.
Additionally, we have taken part in other festivals and national championships in various locations such as Hernani, Almería, and Yuncos (Toledo), as well as playing on several occasions with our neighbors from Valencia’s Les Abelles Rugby Club.
Our rugby team has already played against the veteran team of Cullera Rugby Club, which means a team without players with disabilities. This is a success for us as it represents the social inclusion we aim for, normalizing the idea that everyone can participate in sports if we provide them with a safe environment and the necessary conditions.
Recently, due to the growth of inclusive rugby in Spain, several of our players and facilitators have participated in the Inclusive Seven Rugby CESA (Valencia Selection). Some of them have even represented the national team, participating in the first Inclusive Games organized by the Sanitas Foundation in collaboration with the Higher Sports Council, the Spanish Olympic Committee, and the Spanish Paralympic Committee.
Cullera Rugby Club Cullera
Rugby Club was established over 50 years ago with the aim of promoting and spreading the practice of rugby in the region. It is one of the most esteemed and respected clubs in Spain, with a school that has produced international players in junior categories.
Cullera Rugby Club upholds and promotes the values of Effort, Courage, Commitment, Sacrifice, and Spirit of Improvement. The club has always emphasized its youth academy and the promotion and work of rugby schools, so it was a natural extension to have an inclusive rugby section within its structure.
VI TRI Inclusive Rugby Festival Cullera 2023
At Trust Rugby International, we firmly believe that an important part of what we can offer to people with disabilities is the opportunity to enjoy enriching experiences. Undoubtedly, traveling and meeting like-minded people are among the activities that people enjoy the most, which is why we have created the festival as a social and sporting gathering.
It is a Festival, not a tournament, because the emphasis is on fun rather than competition. It is a more social than sporting event, where the focus is on human relationships and allowing participants from here and other places to feel part of a larger community. The event will be open to both well-established rugby teams and associations or other sports teams who want to experience the social aspect. We adapt the level of play to ensure that everyone enjoys an event tailored to their abilities.
On the first day, we will have a welcome reception for the attendees to get to know each other and start building relationships.
The morning of the Festival will be dedicated to various sports activities on the beach, mainly water sports, and in the afternoon, there will be rugby matches. The night will culminate in a big party with all the teams.
Sunday morning will be free for the delegations to explore the city or enjoy our beaches.
VARIED Project
This year, the festival will be included as part of the activities in the European project VARIED, in which we participate together with the Cullera City Council and the University of Valencia, as well as other entities and organizations from Italy, France, Bulgaria, and Austria.
Download the dossier to see all the information and schedules.
Download dossier
