Champions Cup sponsors Investec team up with School of Hard Knocks charity

Investec, the leading financial services group and title sponsor of the Investec Champions Cup, has today announced a three-year partnership with School of Hard Knocks (SOHK), a social inclusion charity that uses sport to teach valuable skills to underprivileged people.

Through the partnership, Investec will provide participating children with career insights and development days. It will also support SOHK with strategic business mentorship to grow the charity, as it looks to expand and develop its programmes for underprivileged communities. SOHK works with over 1,400 pupils across 30 schools in England, Scotland and Wales. 

Programmes combine rugby with specialist 1-1 mentoring and group sessions that explore a range of issues from emotional control and building resilience to ‘why school’ and planning for the best possible future.

These programmes highlight how rugby can act as a vehicle to deliver positive social change, combined with personal development and mentoring, and, as a result, enrich the lives of those living in underprivileged communities.

‘Create enduring worth’

One case study cites a youngster called Macy, who used SOHK’s resources to grow in confidence, co-captain her rugby team and reduce disruptive behaviour patterns that existed before SOHK’s intervention. Read Macy’s full case study at the bottom of this article.

The announcement comes after the recent Investec School of Hard Knocks Girls rugby tournament, hosted at Eton Manor RFC, where more than 100 girls came together to compete and exemplify the core values of rugby both on and off the pitch.

Commenting on the partnership, Tim Burnell, Investec UK and international chief marketing officer, said: “At Investec, we are firmly rooted in our purpose to create enduring worth, and recognise the potential of grassroots sports-based programmes to deliver long-term and tangible benefits to individuals and communities.

“Our partnership with the School of Hard Knocks will help us to play a part in levelling an uneven playing field.

“In time, we expect our partnership to bring about meaningful change, using rugby as a vehicle to support and develop our younger generations”. 

Ken Cowen, SOHK founder and chief, said: “School of Hard Knocks is excited to embark on this transformative journey with Investec. Together we aim to reach even greater heights in unlocking the potential of our participants, providing them with the tools and support they need to thrive both on and off the field.

“With Investec’s invaluable support, we are poised to expand our reach and deepen our impact, enriching the lives of many young people in underserved communities.”

The partnership extends and reinforces Investec’s commitment to rugby, complementing its title partnership of the Investec Champions Cup.

Macy’s SOHK story

School of Hard Knocks (SOHK) has been transformative for a young individual, Macy, who struggled with disruptive behavior at school.

Before joining the SOHK Schools programme, Macy was often involved in fights and would argue with her teachers, disrupting her own education and that of her classmates. Soon into the programme the SOHK team realised that Macy would become disruptive when she was faced with a rugby drill that she didn’t believe she could do.

They identified a lack of self- confidence as the key issue in Macy’s behaviour. Changing Macy’s mindset took time, with a mixture of coaching and mentoring. A key moment came when Macy made an incredible tackle, taking down one of the best players in the group. From this moment, Macy’s view of her ability and her potentially shifted and became more positive.

Those shifts in attitude are incredibly important, but they need to be backed up with tools that help young people cope with anger or frustration when things are difficult. Alongside rugby, the SOHK programme involves classroom sessions, aimed at tackling beliefs and mindsets that are unhelpful, and developing strategies to cope in difficult situations.

‘SOHK understand me’

These sessions are often supported by guest speakers whose stories of the challenges that they have overcome are both inspirational and relatable for the course participants.

Speaking on the benefits of SOHKs Schools Programme, Macy said “I feel like School of Hard Knocks treat us differently, I feel like they understand me. They’ve helped me take my frustration out on the pitch not in the classroom and I feel a lot more confident.”

The long-term support from SOHK has enabled Macy to grow in confidence on and off the pitch. Her attitude and behaviour have changed to the extent that she has become a student mentor. She is co-captain of the rugby team – and instead of being disruptive, she is now seen as someone who brings the team together.

SOHK’s coaches have commented on her incredible potential and flair for the sport, and Macy now has the confidence and drive to pursue her new goal of playing internationally for Wales.