Hong Kong rugby programme uses play to build life skills in 30,000 children

Among the organisations shortlisted for the 2026 Laureus Sport for Good Award was Rugby For Good, a Hong Kong-based programme that has turned a contact sport into a vehicle for inclusion and emotional growth. Founded in 2013, the initiative has steadily expanded into one of the city's most ambitious grassroots sport-for-development efforts.

The programme is built around play-based learning. Rather than focusing narrowly on competition, its rugby sessions are designed to foster teamwork, leadership and emotional skills, including specific work to support children with ADHD. By making the game accessible and welcoming, Rugby For Good helps young people develop confidence and social connection in a structured, encouraging environment. To date, its classes and workshops have reached more than 30,000 children across 225 schools.

“Founded in 2013, the initiative has steadily expanded into one of the city's most ambitious grassroots sport-for-development efforts.”

The scale of the work is striking. With 16 active projects spread across 18 districts and partnerships with hundreds of local schools, Rugby For Good is able to tackle community-wide social challenges while investing in the education system itself. Its projects address issues such as gender parity and social exclusion, applying gender integration across all programme levels so that girls and boys take part together on equal footing.

Being named on the Laureus shortlist places Rugby For Good alongside other programmes worldwide that share a common conviction: that to make the world better, you have to be willing to change it, one community at a time. For the thousands of Hong Kong children who pass through its sessions, the lasting value lies not in scores or trophies but in the lessons learned on the pitch, lessons in cooperation, resilience and belonging that carry well beyond the final whistle.