Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby Heads To Sunderland Ahead of Rugby World Cup

11th August 2025

Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby (GBWR) is set to head to Sunderland later this month, as the governing body places a spotlight on their Women and Girls Talent Programme ahead of the Rugby World Cup.

With activities planned from Tuesday, 19 August to Thursday, 21 August at the Beacon of Light in Sunderland, GBWR hopes to inspire more women and girls to take up wheelchair rugby via ‘Come and Try’ sessions and scheduled matches, both of which are open to members of the public to participate in or watch.

The mission

Wheelchair rugby is the only mixed-gender full contact sport at the Paralympic Games and the GB team won Gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games. Since then, GBWR has been on a mission to drive more females into the sport, with the aim of increasing the talent pool.

Earlier this year, the governing body announced a landmark partnership with The Hartford, where the esteemed insurance company was revealed as the official insurance partner of the GBWR Women and Girls Talent Programme, providing instrumental support in nurturing talent and expanding opportunities for women and girls in wheelchair rugby across Great Britain.

The funding will significantly enhance GBWR’s efforts to develop female talent in wheelchair rugby and allow for events such as those taking place in the North East later this month to happen.

Speaking about the planned activities, Jason Brisbane, CEO of GBWR commented:

We are thrilled to be heading to the North East to showcase our sport to new and existing rugby fans. There is going to be a brilliant atmosphere in the run up to England’s first match and we hope the public will come along to our events and show support for wheelchair rugby too. We’re on a drive to recruit more female talent to our sport and we’re keen to encourage as many women and girls as possible to come along and give the sport a go! For spectators, we’re hosting a GB women’s wheelchair rugby match against France on Thursday 21st August and we’d love to get as much GB support there as possible!

Come and Try

A ‘Come and Try’ wheelchair rugby session has been organised for Tuesday 19th August from 4-6pm, whilst a GB women’s wheelchair rugby match has been scheduled on Thursday 21st August tipping off at 5pm.

All activities are taking place at the Beacon of Light, SR5 1SN.

GBWR’s Women and Girls Talent Programme is dedicated to increasing female participation in wheelchair rugby, providing pathways from grassroots involvement to elite competition. The programme delivers training camps, outreach initiatives, and mentorship opportunities, ensuring that women and girls have the equipment, resources and support needed to excel in the sport.