Armitage aims to make rugby accessible to all

TWO memories from Delon Armitage’s teenage trip to English rugby’s youth base in the West Midlands have proven particularly hard to shake. First, the elements. ‘On the pitch, they draw the lines with snow,’ the former England full-back smiles. Then came the comments which left him equally cold. ‘I felt like, really, I was in the wrong place,’ Armitage admits. ‘I’d never ever felt that.’ For years, Castlecroft — near Wolverhampton — was the RFU’s base for youth and schools rugby. Armitage was invited after impressing for Richmond College in the Daily Mail Schools Trophy.

‘Bring a gumshield, shoulder pads, boots,’ the letter read. ‘And for after the game, your school uniform.’ The snag? Richmond College didn’t wear one. So he packed jeans and a college hoodie made by his teacher. ‘Everyone was obviously wearing a school uniform and it was kind of awkward,’ he remembers. ‘Everyone was giggling and making fun.’ Those scars did not stop him winning 26 England caps but they still inform his choices. The 37-year-old launched the Delon Armitage Elite Academy in October. Based in

Staines, Surrey, it offers coaching to boys and girls aged 11 to 18. ‘I want it to be accessible,’ says Armitage. ‘As a player who’s gone through grassroots all the way up to international level, we can work together to get them these opportunities, or work on skills, or just have fun.’ World Rugby statistics suggest participation in England fell by nearly 30,000 from 2016 to 2018. Scotland shed more than a quarter of its players. Armitage, who almost quit rugby after suffering rejection as a 16-year-old, added: ‘Whether my academy does well or not, I just want to see kids coming back to rugby.’