Rugby League has a long and proud history of being inclusive. The Club should be committed to upholding the RFL mission statement and Tackle It Policy and Plan. The Management Group should promote policies and practices to welcome every person into its Club in order to extend the reach and appeal of rugby league, diversify the talent pool, improve culture, and actively deal with all forms of discrimination. 

The RFL's Tackle It Plan can be found HERE.

Diversity of background, opinion, skill, values, and personal experience help Clubs make better decisions and to become more welcoming environments. Embracing diversity and inclusivity can ensure a Club stays relevant and meets the needs of its ever-changing demographic of members (and potential members) in an ever-changing world. It is also important that all members feel that their views are listened to and represented at all levels. 

Furthermore, the Club should ensure that it complies with its obligations under the Equalities Act 2010 and ensures that it does not discriminate against an individual based on any of the protected characteristics.  

The Management Group should be representative of the Club and the community in which it is based. The recruitment policy should be open and inclusive. The Management Group should consider how best to ensure it is inclusive and to ensure the values of the organisation give consideration to inclusivity within them. 

It is important to remember that equality refers to fairness and in particular to universal access; while diversity is about recognising and embracing differences within an institution, workforce, or society. 

The benefits of embracing inclusivity include:

1. Ensuring members feel engaged and represented meaning they stay with the Club for longer.

2. Differences in opinion and personal experience often leads to healthy debate that ensures better decision making and more tested policy decisions.

3. Being more representative of the area in which the Club is based is more attractive to potential funders.

4. Being more representative of the area in which the Club is based opens up the ability to appeal to more members, which in turn will lead to the opportunity to have wider strategic aims.