The Scarlets Community Foundation has already welcomed more than hundred teams to Parc y Scarlets on matchdays this season, with another 19 here for Saturday’s big URC clash against Ulster.
As well as mini and junior players taking part in the regular activities like TAG rugby, being flag bearers and the guard of honour, this Saturday is a special celebration of our Welshness, as well as the 50th anniversary of the Welsh Schools Junior Group with under-11 teams from Llanelli, Carmarthen, Mynydd Mawr & Dinefwr and Eryri taking part in a half-time parade.
With a firm commitment to developing the game across the region as well as helping nurture the next generation of Scarlets, the Foundation continues to work tirelessly with grassroots clubs, schools and colleges.
The Foundation currently has three Community Rugby Development Officers working across West Wales, with this set to increase to four from February.
Alongside the WRU Service Level Agreement, we have also had the ability to increase staff numbers by receiving generous donations from the Phil Bennett Foundation and Dominic Barrett.
In October, the Dunbia Group became our first commercial Community Partner and since July 2025, we have engaged with around 16,000 people, delivering over 100 skills sessions in schools, facilitating rugby festivals and the ever-popular club visits where Scarlets players come along and take training sessions.
For the first time this season, Parc y Scarlets has opened the doors of the Indoor Arena for Sunday Series Minis Festivals to combat the inclement winter months and these have proven extremely popular, with around 40 teams taking part so far.
The Foundation has also . . .
- Supported school education programmes through collaboration with the emergency services and external organisations
- Welcomed a number of educational visits to Parc y Scarlets
- Worked closely with the WRU community team, particularly in the support of girls’ hub festivals, our primary school programmes and the junior club game
- Supported 14 charities, providing promotional matchday opportunities within our FSG Supporters Village
- Delivered more than 25 Inclusion sessions at ALN (Additional Learning Needs) schools; supported a mixed-ability festival and have two inclusive sports clubs running weekly in Llanelli and Ammanford. These clubs now engage over 40 children with disabilities on a regular basis.
- Partnered with local authority Actif teams to support the Wheelchair Sports Hub programme, alongside the wheelchair rugby team in Haverfordwest.
- Delivered 15 ‘Fit, Fed, Fun’ camps in areas of deprivation, as well as five Scarlets camps.
- Supported the LGBTQ+ Pride Event, and we are currently working on Projects in Ethnically Diverse Areas.
- Our Sporting Memories group continues to go from strength to strength with around 35 members meeting every Wednesday morning at Parc y Scarlets.
- Continued working with Star Scheme to support children with ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) through running events at schools and mini festivals.
Scarlets Community Foundation manager Paul Fisher said: “It’s been a really busy few months for the Foundation and with the help of our partners, we have been able to collaborate with a wide range of fantastic organisations, too many to name individually, which has enabled us to expand both our delivery and overall offering.
“Looking ahead, we have several new initiatives in the pipeline for the coming months and are excited to continue building on this momentum.”