TackleLondon now runs more after-school clubs than ever, has launched a community Academy and hosts more inter-school tournaments. Behind all three is one idea: no young person should run out of next steps.
Picture the final bell on an ordinary school day. Bags hit the floor, a few kids head for the gates, and a few head for the field instead.
That window between the end of lessons and the start of the evening is where a lot of our growth shows up first. Since last year, TackleLondon has opened more after-school clubs than ever before.
Why that slot matters so much
The national picture is better than it’s been in years, but it isn’t finished. Sport England’s latest Active Lives survey, covering the 2024-25 school year, found that 49.1% of children and young people in England now average the recommended hour a day. That’s the highest since the survey began in 2017-18 and equates to roughly 580,000 more active children than back then.
But look closer. Children in school Years 3 and 4, aged seven to nine, are the least active group in the country, at 42%. And the Youth Sport Trust’s chief executive, Ali Oliver, pointed out that almost a third of young people still manage under half an hour a day. Those are the ages when habits form. An after-school club at the school gate is about as low-friction as an offer can get.
There’s a quieter finding too. Children classed as active were slightly more likely to give the top score for social trust (26%, against 23% for the least active). It’s a small gap, but it hints at something we see all the time: the benefits of a rugby session don’t stop at the touchline.
Three things that changed
After-school clubs. The entry point. A familiar teacher, familiar classmates, no travel. This is where most young people meet us.
The community Academy. This is the new bridge. It gives players who’ve caught the bug somewhere to go beyond the school day, with a bit more coaching, more match time and a link to local clubs.
Inter-school tournaments. The first taste of match day, with a team-mate you already know and an opposition you probably also know. It turns “I go to a rugby club after school” into “I’m on a team”.
One pathway, not three programmes
On paper those are separate things. In practice they’re one staircase. TackleLondon is co-delivered by the Matt Ratana Rugby Foundation and The Atlas Foundation, and the whole design runs from a first in-school session through to a place at a community club.
The staircase also recognises the young people climbing it. On Tuesday 19 May 2026, young people and families from our partner schools across Croydon and Bromley came together for an awards evening that celebrated commitment and values as well as skill. That mattered, because the lad who turns up every week and encourages everyone else deserves a trophy as much as the quickest winger.
What’s next
November brings the first Academy showcase fixtures. The U14 girls are pencilled in against Beckenham RFC and the U13 boys against Park House RFC, both in the second week of the month. [CONFIRM dates and venues before publishing.] Players from schools programmes will be pulling on the shirt alongside Academy regulars, which is rather the point.
Growth isn’t really about a bigger number on a spreadsheet. It’s about whether the 8-year-old who came to a lunchtime session in September still has somewhere to go when they’re 14. This year, we can say yes to that more often than ever.
Sources
- Health Club Management, “Insight: More active lives” (Active Lives 2024-25; 580,000 more active children; social trust figures): https://www.healthclubmanagement.co.uk/health-club-management-features/Insight-More-active-lives/38300
- Health Club Management news, with comments from the Youth Sport Trust’s Ali Oliver: https://www.healthclubmanagement.co.uk/health-club-management-news/Physical-activity-among-young-people-at-highest-level-since-Active-Lives-Report-began/361679
- Sport England, Active Lives Children and Young People Survey 2024-25 (published 4 December 2025; Years 3-4 at 42%): https://www.activenorfolk.org/app/uploads/2025/12/Active-Lives-Children-and-Young-People-Survey-academic-year-2024-25-report_.pdf
- Active Derbyshire and Active Notts summary (49.1%): https://makingourmove.org.uk/?p=23204
- MRRF, “Matt Ratana Rugby Foundation Awards Evening” (19 May 2026): https://www.mattratanarugby.foundation/news/awards-evening/