Week-in and week-out, social media, TV, newspapers, and the online world are full of elite sports stars, but what is less well showcased are the local groups delivering health and wellbeing benefits through sport and physical activity in their heart of their communities.

“Community sport and physical activity is just great for children and young people, to get them out, get them active,” observes Penny Rabone, Wellbeing Lead at Sported.

“All of the hidden benefits that we don’t necessarily see, like social outcomes, for example, that can’t always be measured. Young people coming out of their house, making new friends, groups, friendships, these are the things that really enhance health and wellbeing for children and young people.

“I just think to get them out and get them active is really important for mental and physical health.”

Sported is the UK’s largest grassroots sport charity and has a network of around 5,000 groups across the UK, helping to make a difference in the lives of young people and communities.

One of the clubs that form part of the Sported network is Chard Rugby Football Club in Somerset.

Billy Ellens, Chair of Chard RFC, admits their challenge is to meet demand.

“We normally grow on the average of one a week, but we never turn a child away.

“Our key thing was bringing their children into a sport where they can exercise, they can stay active, they can make new friends. But most of all, they feel protected that they’re in this bubble.

“Dan, who was the chairman at Chew Valley at the time, saw this big, huge gap in the market for children with mental health or ACEs [adverse childhood experiences] and wanted to challenge that basically and bring children into sport.

“Children that come from all backgrounds, so whether it’s parents in prison, whether it’s an abusive relationship between mother and father, whether they’ve lost their parent at an early stage of their life, or poverty as well.”

Andy Teague, Coach for U12 Girls, has witnessed the benefits to members of being part of the girls’ team at the club.

“Something that I really see as a positive of the girls playing rugby is that they are turning up every week and they’re getting stuck in and they’ve got a really good routine,” he notes.

“They build relationships with girls that are of a different age group, so perhaps when they’re transitioning from primary school up through to secondary school, they already know people that are there.

“My daughters both play rugby and even when we’re out in town at weekends, they’ll see the girls from the older teams and they are communicating with them and they’re friends, and it is absolutely brilliant to see.”

Find out more about Sported and the support on offer to support grassroots sport’s clubs and organisations to have an impact in their community by visiting the Sported Hub.

Get to know Chard RFC, their volunteers, teams, and activities by visiting their website.