More than 70 children descended on Cardiff Arms Park this week as the club’s Community Foundation staged a UK first.
Working in collaboration with the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), Cardiff Rugby Community Foundation held the first Visually Impaired Rugby session for children.
No event of its kind has ever been held in the UK - and the RNIB believe it was also a world first - with students with sight impairments from six local schools enjoying a fun-filled day at the iconic ground.
The hugely successful event was organised and led by Cardiff Rugby Community Foundation’s Disability and Inclusion Officer, Evan Vaughan-Lewis, who was delighted with the outcome.
He said: “We already work very closely with the RNIB and have our own Cardiff Rugby VI team, who train here every week.
“It’s one of the only club’s in the UK but there is currently no provision for children with sight loss and we wanted to change that.
“We have had more than 70 children, the vast majority with various degrees of visual impairment coming here to the Arms Park to take part in a day of rugby and for some, experience the game for the first time.
“Everything we do in the Community Foundation is driven by our mission to inspire, engage and improve opportunities for all and today is a brilliant example of that.
“It was a really inclusive event, which shows there are no barriers to participation and no matter your ability, you can play rugby.
“We want to ensure our Visually Impaired Rugby provision is sustainable and the next step of that is by having a set-up for younger people.
“The fact that this is a UK first is something we are all really proud of and we’re very grateful to everyone who helped us facilitate the event.”
Gareth Davies, a member of the Cardiff Rugby VI team who take on Harlequins on Saturday, also works for the RNIB and was overwhelmed with pride at the event.
The 48-year-old, who has retina pigmentosa, said: “It’s the first time in the UK that a rugby club have put on an event like this and the first time in the world that we’ve had this many kids, with sight loss, in one place playing rugby. It’s just fantastic.
“It’s been a n absolute honour to put this on today. The smiles on the kids faces, the opportunity for them to come and play on Cardiff Arms Park and just to inspire them and show they can play rugby.
“For most of these kids, because of their sight loss, they are told they can’t, which just isn’t the case with the visually impaired game we have set up here.
“Nothing currently exists to give children with visual impairments the opportunity to play rugby so for us to develop the game and a pathway for the kids to play is really special and something we will not let go.
“Living with sight loss can be a really lonely place and a particularly difficult place when you are growing up. In your early years and your adolescence when you are trying to figure out the world.
“To have an opportunity to play a game which develops social skills, make friendships and develop confidence to know you can achieve any goal you set is great.
“Sport can be a real vehicle for developing confidence and self-esteem so it’s great that we’re doing that for kids here in the Cardiff Rugby region.”
Following a morning of rugby-based skills, games and challenges, the children enjoyed a stadium tour of the Arms Park and a Q&A with Cardiff VI player Cai Emlyn and first-team star James Ratti.
Ratti added: “It was great to attend the event on Wednesday and quite a humbling experience.
“I am very fortunate to play rugby for a living but just playing the game so many of us love, has not been possible for many people with sight loss.
“We have seen the success of the Cardiff Rugby VI team over the last few years and to begin rolling that out for children is fantastic. No matter what level you play rugby gives you so much in terms of friendship, team-work and general health and everyone should have that opportunity.
“I have so much admiration for the work the foundation does on a daily basis and also everyone here today, who live with sight loss but are overcoming challenges.
“I had a go at some simple catch and pass challenges wearing a variety of VI goggles that replicate varying degrees of sight-loss and I can’t begin to explain how difficult that was!”
To find out more about Cardiff Rugby VI, click here.