Prince Harry: Sport has the power to change lives

Prince Harry believes that sport has the power to change lives for the better. He has championed access to sport for children and young people to give them confidence, and valuable life skills. He has also championed the value of sport in helping wounded servicemen become mentally and physically stronger as they recover from injury, through his work with Invictus.

Prince Harry excelled at sport at school and was a house games captain at Eton. He has a particular passion for Rugby, and has worked to improve access to sport for all young people.

The Prince spent part of his 2004 gap year training as an Assistant Development Officer with the Rugby Football Union (RFU). Once qualified he went out to schools and clubs around the country assisting community rugby coaches to teach the game to young people of all ages and from all communities.

Terry Burwell, the RFU's community rugby and operations director, said at the time that the Prince demonstrated great empathy with young people. “Whether he is teaching rugby or teaching about life, he enthuses them,” he said.

Building on this experience, in 2013 Prince Harry became the patron of the Rugby Football Union All Schools Programme. This aims to promote rugby in schools by improving access to facilities and equipment for all children.

Prince Harry, as Honorary President of England 2015 and Vice-Patron of the Rugby Football Union (RFU), played an active role in supporting the Rugby World Cup 2015 and was involved in promoting the participatory legacy for rugby at grassroots level, especially the opportunities for children and young people to enjoy the game.

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