Women’s Aid is the first charity to benefit from the new Leinster rugby approach to its Charity Programme.
The new programme replaces, for the 2020/21 season initially, the charity partnership programme which is no longer possible given the impact of Covid-19.
Over the course of the next 12 months, Leinster will highlight one charity each month and will use its online reach to help profile their work, their people and those in our society that rely on them the most.
11 of the 12 charities will be selected by the players, staff and the premium partners of Leinster Rugby while a final charity will be selected by the Official Leinster Supporters Club (OLSC) having sought the opinion of its members.
“In the ordinary course of events we would have two new charity partners selected by now after a public tender process but we felt with so much uncertainty around Covid, it was impossible to bring an offering to market,” said Marcus Ó Buachalla of Leinster Rugby.
Communities
“We have all seen throughout the Covid-19 pandemic how communities have come together and how brilliant some of the initiatives have been but there is much work still to be done and hopefully we can help bring attention to some of those endeavours.”
“It’s not the same and we would love to do more, but it’s a start and hopefully the 12 nominated charities will benefit at a time when they are hugely impacted by Covid-19.”
The majority of the charities will be selected in consultation with the leadership group of the men’s and the women’s teams, as well as the Leinster Academy, while premium partners Bank of Ireland, adidas, Laya Healthcare, Life Style Sports, Energia, Guinness and BearingPoint will also be part of the selection process.
The one remaining charity will be selected by Leinster Rugby supporters, in consultation with the OLSC. That selection process will be confirmed and announced by the OLSC in the coming months.
Emergency
“The Covid-19 national emergency has shone a light on the crisis of domestic violence in homes across Ireland. There is a greater awareness that home is not always a safe place for everyone,” said Sarah Benson, Chief Executive of Women’s Aid.
“We are delighted to partner with Leinster Rugby for the month of November to help raise awareness of the very serious issue of domestic violence. Many women and children are living in suffocating circumstances with their abusers because of the renewed measures to combat Covid-19 this November. We are receiving about 1,000 more calls a month than usual.”
“Women’s Aid is committed to listening, believing and supporting women experiencing domestic abuse, especially at this time of increased need. With the support of Leinster Rugby we are urging communities to be vigilant and responsive to anyone whom they feel may be in an abusive, dangerous situation. People can seek their own support and information through our website, National Freephone Helpline or other resources if they need, in order to help to others.”
“We are delighted to have Women’s Aid as our first charity affiliate and we are looking forward to supporting their work over the coming month culminating in a campaign launch that they have planned for late November,” added Ó Buachalla.
“Domestic violence and its seriousness was brought home to us all when An Taoiseach Mícheál Martin, TD called it out in his address to the nation recently so it is timely that we bring attention to this issue and also the great work that Women’s Aid are doing to help women and children living under the cloud of domestic abuse.”
Watch out this week for the launch of Sport for Business Sport for Social Good 2020, in partnership with Allianz. We will be announcing details of a special report into the highlights of how sport and partners have contributed across social groups and communities during this year like no other. We will also announce the date and the first speakers at this year’s virtual conference.
Sport for Business Partners
