The Abraham Moss Warriors also received digital connectivity and digital skills training through Vodafone's sports.connected initiative.
Vodafone UK Business ambassador and former British & Irish Lion, Jason Robinson OBE, visited Abraham Moss Warriors in Manchester, to deliver a rugby coaching session with children from the local community.
The session was run in partnership with Vodafone’s sports.connected initiative, through which Abraham Moss Warriors has also received digital connectivity and digital skills training.
Jason will be visiting clubs in London, Cardiff, Glasgow and Stoke-on-Trent to provide opportunities for groups in disadvantaged areas to get involved in sport during school holidays.
Vodafone, as part of its sports.connected initiative, has teamed up with the Jason Robinson Foundation and prominent charity Sported to support grassroots community sports clubs and encourage children and young people across the UK to get active through sport and physical activity.
Kicking off in Manchester, children from the Abraham Moss Warriors, a local sports and activity community club were joined by Vodafone UK Business ambassador and former British & Irish Lion, Jason Robinson OBE, for a rugby coaching session and Q&A. Jason spent time talking with the Abraham Moss Warriors about his rugby career, his pathway through the sport and his own upbringing. He also offered candid insight into the importance of his connection to his local community and grassroots rugby club.
Abraham Moss Warriors, Manchester.
Schoolchildren participating in sport at the Abraham Moss Warriors club, Manchester.
Jason Robinson with schoolchildren at the Abraham Moss Warriors club, Manchester.
The day’s events concluded with Jason and his Foundation providing the club with a range of brand-new kit, from football boots and tops to rain jackets and warm jumpers for the winter.
Alongside the visit, Vodafone’s sports.connected programme, in partnership with Sported, has also provided Abraham Moss Warriors with digital connectivity in the form of SIM cards and access to a bespoke digital business skills platform through its V-Hub offering. The tool has been developed to help clubs raise more funding and engage more young people in sport through educational webinars, toolkits, and training, designed with the needs of each club taken into consideration.
The Abraham Moss Warriors also received a grant from Vodafone’s grant-giving scheme, which they have put towards providing extra sporting activities during school holidays for young people from an area of deprivation.
Sports.connected is part of Vodafone’s everyone.connected campaign, which is helping four million people and businesses cross the digital divide by the end of 2025, giving them the connectivity and skills they need to stay connected and participate fully in an increasingly digital society.
Vodafone teams up with Sported to tackle digital exclusion and support thousands of young people across the UK
Sports.connected is part of Vodafone’s everyone.connected campaign to help four million people cross the digital divide before the end of 2025.
Nick Gliddon, Vodafone UK Business Director, said: “Community sports groups like Abraham Moss Warriors are a lifeline for many young people up and down the country, and at Vodafone we understand the vital role that sport can play in their lives. We’re hugely proud of our partnerships with Sported and the Jason Robinson Foundation, and the work we are doing together to provide digital connections and skills to these community groups, giving them and their members the tools to help them grow and thrive.”
Jason Robinson, Vodafone Business ambassador, said: “I really enjoyed the day I spent with Abraham Moss Warriors, teaching the kids some rugby skills and getting to talk to them about my own pathway through sport. I know first-hand how important clubs like these are for young people, so I feel really privileged to be a part of this initiative and know that the work we’re doing is making a difference to this community.”
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June Kelly, Founder of Abraham Moss Warriors, said: “Having Jason Robinson and his Foundation join us at Abraham Moss Warriors this half term was a hugely exciting moment for the club and the kids that come here.
“The Vodafone and Sported initiative is really important for clubs like ours. The connectivity and digital skills that we have been given as part of this is already making a significant difference to the club and our members.”
In May 2023, Vodafone announced its partnership with Sported, a UK-wide charity using grassroots sport and physical activity in our communities to have a positive impact on young people. The partnership aims to tackle digital exclusion and support thousands of young people across the UK, offering free connectivity, digital skills training and a grant-giving scheme to support the vital work undertaken by community groups in engaging young people, tackling inequality and boosting health and wellbeing through sport.
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Notes to editors
everyone.connected
Sports.connected is part of Vodafone’s everyone.connected campaign, which is helping four million people and businesses cross the digital divide by the end of 2025, giving them the connectivity and skills they need to stay connected and participate fully in an increasingly digital society.
Sported
Sported is a charity which delivers expertise, resources and free support to clubs and groups that use sport and physical activity to make a positive impact on communities throughout the UK. It works with almost 3,000 organisations supporting half a million people to overcome barriers in order to reach their full potential. To learn more about Sported, visit sported.org.uk or follow them on LinkedIn.
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The Jason Robinson Foundation was established in 2022 by Jason Robinson, the two-sport international and Rugby World Cup winner with England. Jason grew up in Leeds and benefited from the help and support of key individuals and organisations within the community. Jason’s passion is to ensure that children and young people receive the same help, support, and inspiration as he received.
The Jason Robinson Foundation has a key focus on ensuring that children and young people have fun and get active through sport and physical activity. Working nationally but with an initial focus on supporting communities in Leeds, the Jason Robinson Foundation works directly with schools and community groups to inspire more children and young people to get active and play sport. The Jason Robinson Foundation uses Jason’s unique backstory and experience to help inspire people and communities to be more active and healthier. Jason is heavily involved in the work of the foundation and actively engages with all aspects of our work.
Abraham Moss Warriors
Supported by Sported, and led by June Kelly MBE, the Abraham Moss Warriors, a local sports and activity community club in Manchester, aim to support people of all ages and backgrounds to become more involved in sport and healthy activities.
Vodafone UK is a technology communications company that connects people, businesses and devices to help our customers benefit from digital innovation. Our services span mobile, fixed-line connections, home and office broadband, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
We have a strong track record as a tech pioneer, making the UK’s first mobile phone call, sending the first text message, and making the UK’s first live holographic call using 5G in 2018. We were the first to start carrying live 5G traffic from a site in Salford, Greater Manchester and now have 5G in locations across Germany, Ireland, Italy, Spain as well as the UK. Meanwhile, our 4G network coverage currently reaches over 99% of the UK population.
Today, Vodafone serves more than 18 million mobile and fixed-line customers in the UK. Vodafone is the largest provider of full fibre in the UK – our superfast broadband services are now available to nearly 12 million homes across the UK.
Sustainability is also at the heart of what we do: as of 1 July 2021, 100% of the grid electricity we use in the UK is certified to be from renewable sources.
For more information about Vodafone UK, please visit: www.vodafone.co.uk.
