EIRFC COVID Fightback Fund

Aim

Covid-19 cost Enfield Ignatians £000's in income. We need your help to maintain our rugby facilities and subsidise our community support.

Our Club

Enfield Ignatians is North London’s most successful community Rugby Club.  We have strong links to the local community, particularly through our youth section, with squads from Under-7s up to our first team who compete in London 2 North-West. The club has over 400 adult and 200 youth members comprising four senior squads, 12 youth squads and a girls’ team.

More than just a rugby club, Ignatians is like a family to our members. We pride ourselves on our warm and social atmosphere, with what happens off the pitch being vitally important to the club. The club invests in our local community by subsidising memberships for people with financial difficulties and for our youth section. Enfield itself has particularly high levels of childhood obesity so this work is crucial to maintaining levels of physical activity in the local area.

During the Covid-19 pandemic our community spirit has shone through even brighter. The youth section stepped up with a series of challenges and events to keep local children engaged with rugby and active throughout the crisis. Our adult members and coaches clubbed together in a “Brave the Shave” challenge raising £2,370 for local NHS services.  The club also donated all our bar snacks to a local food bank. You may have even seen our social media stars "The Bin Boys" on Facebook entertaining the local community and raising funds for the NHS.

Why support our crowd-funder?

Ignatians' members are doing so much to support others, but the crisis has also impacted the club's own income streams. This may force us to make difficult choices; between maintaining our facilities or continuing our level of investment in community programmes. Either of these choices could damage the future of the club. If we are unable to maintain our facilities, we risk our future income streams. Less investment in the community could affect our ability to bring young players through the system and ensure everyone can play rugby, regardless of their personal situation. These funds would be used to safeguard our investment in the fabric of our facility and our support for the community.

What do people think about us?

"Enfield Ignatians Rugby Club is in my Ward in Enfield. For many years they have provided fantastic support to the community, indeed I would regard them as a key  asset. I have witnessed at first hand the impact of their community work in providing satellite coaching for one of our deprived estates. They have enhanced the life chances of many young people and are instrumental in improving the physical and mental well being of many Enfield residents. It is vital that they continue to thrive." 

Cllr. Chris Bond. Ward Member for Southbury Ward 

“A small club with a big heart”

Stephen Renny – third team captain and academy coach (Moose)

“Small enough to care, large enough to inspire”

Phil Tucker – former first team player

What are we asking you to do?

We are asking you to safeguard our community work and ensure we can maintain the facilities of the club. Please donate to our Covid-19 fightback fund:

• to support a club at the heart of our local community,
• to keep young people in Enfield active and loving their rugby,
• to make sure anyone can play rugby in Enfield regardless of their income,
• to look after our clubhouse and facilities,
• to support our rugby family when we come out of lockdown,
• to make sure the spirit of the Ignatians Dodo never dies!

This project successfully funded on 8th August 2020