SMALL grants are making a big difference to community clubs, say Rugby Football League chiefs.

In excess of £500,000 awards have now been handed out courtesy of a Rugby League World Cup 2021 scheme, with the latest projects receiving £143,000 and the Warrington Wolves Foundation, Rylands Sharks and Woolston Rovers being among the recipients.

This comes at a time when rugby league is beginning its phased return from the UK lockdown forced by the coronavirus pandemic, which has wiped out the 2020 season at grassroots level.

Grants awarded:

Cheshire and Greater Manchester:

Cadishead Rhinos ARLFC, Salford – £14,500 towards floodlighting which will allow players to train on their own club’s pitches over the winter months instead of hiring more costly external facilities.

Haresfinch Rugby and Community Club, St Helens – £5,300 towards kit and equipment for their new Under 6s team, and towards groundworks to create a bespoke junior rugby pitch.

Manchester Metropolitan University – £1,400 towards equipment to create opportunities for new students to enjoy Rugby League as the game builds towards RLWC2021.

Rylands Sharks ARLFC, Warrington –£8,700 towards playing and ground equipment to help set up a new junior club at Bennett’s Recreation Ground.

Warrington Wolves Charitable Foundation – £11,200 towards new wheelchairs and equipment to help increase participation in the wheelchair format of the game.

Woolston Rovers Rugby League Club, Warrington – £14,900 towards refurbishment of their changing rooms and the conversion of a portable cabin into a toilet block.

Cumbria:

Glasson Rangers ARLFC, Maryport – £12,100 towards refurbishing the club house and changing rooms.

Maryport ARLFC – £3,600 towards kit and equipment to grow number of junior players and teams from minis through to Under 14s.

London and South East:

Elmbridge Eagles Rugby Club, Surrey – £10,400 for playing equipment and to facilitate improvements at their Oaken Lane Ground.

Soldiers League Charity (Army Wheelchair Rugby League), Aldershot – £11,700 towards new wheelchairs and equipment to provide injured soldiers with the opportunity to play the Rugby League.

Midlands:

Derby City RLFC – £2,500 towards equipment to help grow the junior section and give young people the opportunities to play Rugby League.

North East:

Newcastle Magpies RLFC – £6,400 awarded to a brand new Rugby League club in the area, towards kit and equipment to support the creation of the new club and its teams.

Newcastle Rugby Foundation – £12,900 to create and develop a new Wheelchair Rugby League team under the banner of Newcastle Thunder.

South West:

Swindon St George RL awarded £4,293.74 towards rugby posts for their new ground as well as other essential rugby league playing equipment to assist their mini and junior sections get up and running.

Yorkshire:

Catterick Crusaders Rugby League – £4,300 towards kit and equipment to increase the number of young people playing across the under 14, 15 and 16 age groups.

Forge Valley School, Sheffield – £2,100 to support school games organisers across South Yorkshire with equipment to run and develop Tag Rugby League competitions.

Greetland Allrounders ARLFC – £540 towards equipment for a new girls Under 14s team and to improve participation at Under 12s.

Illingworth ARLFC, Halifax – £11,750 to purchase and convert storage to changing rooms for the club’s growing junior (boys and girls) teams.

Wibsey Warriors, Bradford – £4,370 towards Rugby League equipment to support the sustainability of the club and allow for future growth.

Ralph Rimmer, chief executive of the Rugby Football League, said: “Our partners at Rugby League World Cup aim not only to deliver an outstanding tournament, but to build a legacy for our game beyond 2021.

"With more than £566,000 already awarded through the small grant scheme, they are also helping building strong foundations for the recovery of the community game right now during the current crisis.

“CreatedBy grants also have an element of match funding, which in the case of these latest awards is worth an additional £52,000 on top of the latest £143,000 coming into the community game. This is good news because as the number of people regularly participating in rugby league continues to grow, it’s essential that the quality of facilities keeps pace.”

Jon Dutton, chief executive of the Rugby League World Cup 2021, added: “The World Cup itself might be more than a year away, but this funding is having an immediate and important impact at grassroots level.

"Our CreatedBy grants programme amounts to an unprecedented level of investment in the game and we look forward to announcing more funding support in the very near future.”

CreatedBy RLWC2021 is Government investment delivered in partnership by Rugby League World Cup 2021, the RFL, Sport England and the Department of Culture, Media and Sport. Clubs, organisations and communities that run Rugby League activities are encouraged to apply for legacy funding online at rlwc2021.com/facilities

The Rugby League World Cup 2021 will kick off on 23 October 2021, with the men’s, women’s and wheelchair competitions taking place simultaneously, under one tournament banner for the first time.