Carnoustie benefit from Jack's ambassador involvement

The club is feeling the benefits of being involved with Royal Bank Rugby Force, a project which encourages 18-35 year olds from across the country to being young ambassadors.

Ambassadors take on committee positions at local rugby clubs with one of their focuses being on creating bonds between those clubs and local schools.

Jack Forster, 30, was one of those appointed as a 2021 young ambassador at Carnoustie.

His young ambassador programme has seen him implement long term development plans for the future sustainability of his club post-pandemic.

Through hosting events and building support networks between the club and local schools, Jack is raising the profile of rugby in the local Angus area, connecting with potential future players and making the game feel more accessible to local residents.

Rugby Force has now opened for 2022 funding applications.

In partnership with Scottish Rugby, the Royal Bank are encouraging 18-35-year-olds across the country to get involved.

Following on from nationwide success last year, the programme is looking to grow their support for the next generation of grassroots leaders with a squad of 15 young ambassadors who will take on responsible committee positions at their clubs.

Each winning candidate will also receive specialist training and mentoring to develop key skills for effective club management, including seminars and events lead by former Scotland internationals Jim Hamilton and Rory Lawson.

The national programme will support the 15 ambassadors with an additional £500 grant to deliver a project of their choosing whilst also providing online access to all qualifying under 35s who apply.

Winners will be selected from all five Scottish Rugby regions and will be chosen based on how they would spend the grant as well as the community work they are currently delivering through their local club.

The 15 successful candidates will be announced in July ahead of a young ambassador forum later in the month, where winners will have a chance to meet and share their experiences of the programme ahead of Rugby Force weekend in August.

The weekend traditionally sees clubs open their doors to the local community, hosting fun days and attracting new members for the future.

Backing the campaign, Scotland international and Edinburgh Rugby player, Jamie Ritchie said: “Having had the chance to meet last year’s young ambassadors and to see first-hand the impact their projects are having, it’s great to see the programme back again for 2022.

“This is a really important time for the grassroots game as we recover and rebuild from the effects of the last 18 months.

"It's vital that we encourage every voice to be heard in that process. give our wonderful sport a try.”