Trailblazing change in the North of England

The last few months have given the Rugby League World Cup 2021 team the chance to review the journey we have been on, the milestones we have passed and the need to prepare for the challenges that still lie ahead.

With so much of our team’s focus inevitably being on scenario planning and maintaining constant dialogue with our Government colleagues, the Covid-19 pandemic has certainly formed a major element of our work during the period since England first went into lockdown

However, despite the ongoing news headlines and constantly changing landscape, my role as Chief Executive is to ensure we are still maintaining a laser-sharp focus on what we initially set out to achieve.

A tournament with a purpose

RLWC2021 has always been so much more than just a sporting event; we are a tournament with a purpose. Our ambition from the start has been to shine a spotlight on the North of England, highlighting the involvement and fantastic contribution of all the eighteen host towns and cities.

Looking back to when we first started our journey in 2015, we received ￡25 million in UK Government support; at the time this was the single biggest investment in a sports event since the 2012 London Olympic and Paralympic Games and demonstrated the Government’s commitment to making a positive impact in the North.

Back then, the ‘Northern Powerhouse’ strategy offered great hope for the region, and it is important to acknowledge that we would not be here if it wasn’t for the importance of Rugby League in that agenda. Since then, there have been further iterations of intent to reduce the divide; Theresa May’s ‘Opportunity Areas’, Boris Johnson’s ‘Levelling Up’, and most recently the ‘Northern Big Bang’.

Sadly, despite such good intentions, here we are in 2021 and there is still incredible inequality in the North of England compared to the South.

The political landscape over this six-year period has been turbulent to say the least, with Brexit, changes to the country’s leadership, and most recently the Covid-19 pandemic, all creating the perfect storm and pulling time and resources away from what remains a critical issue.

With 15 million people living in the North of England[i], it is vital that we continue helping this dynamic and world-class region to thrive, and the RLWC2021 tournament remains a powerful way to do this.

Understanding the challenges

A ‘State of the North 20/21’ report[ii] by the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), revealed the extent of the UK’s deep regional divides, highlighting the need for policies aiming to change them. The report argues that Covid-19 has further exacerbated the issues, throwing “long-term inequities and lack of resilience into a stark spotlight”.

A research report by the Social Mobility Commission[iii] in September 2020, explores what it calls ‘The long shadow of deprivation’ and reveals the shocking regional disparity of living conditions and opportunities. It is simply beyond belief that where you are born and grow up will affect your health, education and, ultimately, life expectancy.

When it comes to mental health, anxiety is a growing issue affecting young people, and male adult suicide rates are higher than the overall rate for males in England in most of the tournament host areas.[iv]

The reports and statistics make for tough reading, and act as a constant reminder that we must not deviate from our ambition to leave behind a true social as well as sporting legacy and make a tangible impact on people’s lives.

Since the start of this year, we have been reaching out to business leaders, along with regular meetings with MPs on a one-to-one basis, to discuss our plans and reiterate the importance of the sport in really making a difference.

These discussions have been well received, yet the overall takeaway for us as a team is that there is a lack of consistency regarding the Northern Powerhouse strategy and what it originally set out to achieve.

This lack of a clear and cohesive plan is echoed in ‘The State of the State 2020-21', a recent report by Deloitte and Reform[v], which explores the issues facing government and public services across the UK. Interviews with public sector leaders found “enthusiastic support” for the levelling up agenda, but the report suggests that “government now needs to bring clarity to its scope, its delivery and the devolution to make it happen”.

Making a difference

We remain highly active in our efforts to drive positive change. I attend an All-Party Parliamentary Rugby League Group, along with Lord Jonathan Caine, who has also recently joined our RLWC2021 Board.

By staging the tournament in the North, across a wider footprint than ever before, we can continue to play an increasingly important role alongside and supporting the Government’s efforts, to really galvanise some of the regions that have been most affected by the pandemic and are the hardest to reach.

Of the Government funding we received, 57% of this investment will go into lower socio-economic areas[vi]. As an example, when we award our capital funding to projects across the country, this includes funding projects that will make a difference in the top 1% of hardest to reach or deprived areas.

It makes me immensely proud to see how we are already making a difference. Through our InspirationALL legacy programme, we can provide opportunities across the region in a way that sport has never done before.

We have crafted a living and breathing programme, which has set out to build physically fit and mentally strong communities, reduce isolation and loneliness, address inequalities, and improve community cohesion and civic pride.

A big part of this is our Mental Fitness Charter, in partnership with Movember, which includes delivering educational workshops to 8,000 12–18-year-olds, their families and coaches, to help recognise the signs and symptoms of poor mental health in themselves and others.

There are many more areas to our work, and I look forward to sharing more details of these over the coming months, as we build up to the tournament finale in October and November.

For now, we remain committed to working in tandem with the Government’s vision for the region. While our collective efforts will no doubt have been affected by the pandemic, the RLWC2021 community programmes and global recognition for this vibrant region will continue long after the trophies have been lifted and the fireworks let off.

[i] Northern Powerhouse strategy. November 2016 (HM Treasury) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/northern-powerhouse-strategy

[ii] State of the North 2020/21: Power up, level up, rise up (IPPR)

[iii] The long shadow of deprivation: Differences in opportunities across England (Social Mobility Commission 2020)

[iv] ONS suicides in 2018 by English region and Wales

[v] The State of the State 2020–21: Government in the pandemic and beyond (Deloitte and Reform)

[vi] Top 30% most deprived decile according to the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2019 (IMD2019) https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/english-indices-of-deprivation-2019