What Harlequins Foundation does

The Harlequins Foundation is the charitable arm of Harlequins FC, a professional rugby union club competing in the Gallagher Premiership, Premiership Women's Rugby, and Investec Champions Cup. Founded in 2015 and headquartered at Twickenham Stoop Stadium in Twickenham, Middlesex, the Foundation operates community rugby programmes including residential camps, rugby camps, international training camps, a schools programme, masterclasses, and an affiliation programme for community rugby clubs. Its primary mission is youth rugby development and creating community social impact through sport, serving children, schools, grassroots clubs, and rugby fans across England.

The Foundation's product surface is programme-driven rather than technology-driven: community engagement activities delivered in-person at Twickenham Stoop and through partner schools and affiliated clubs. Supporting commercial infrastructure — owned by the parent club but partly accessible to Foundation activities — includes digital ticketing via eticketing.co.uk, the Quins+ Membership and Season Ticket Membership programmes, matchday hospitality packages, the Huddle Lounge, conference and event hire, an online merchandise shop, and the Official Harlequins App. No proprietary technology, AI/ML systems, or software platforms are operated by the Foundation itself.

The Foundation's revenue model combines charitable donations ('Donate Today' programme) with parent club-aligned commercial streams: subscription-based season ticket and Quins+ memberships, merchandise sales, and matchday hospitality. It is sustained by major commercial partnerships with DHL (sponsor and fan experience partner), Castore (kit supplier), and Gallagher (league title sponsor), alongside strategic alignment with Premiership Rugby, Premiership Women's Rugby, and the Investec Champions Cup. The Foundation is a small organisation of 11–50 employees and discloses no financial figures.

Name

Harlequins Foundation

Legal name

The Harlequins Foundation

Website

https://harlequins.foundation

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Harlequins Foundation is the charitable arm of Harlequins FC, delivering community rugby programmes including residential camps, schools programmes, masterclasses, and club affiliations for youth players, schools, and grassroots clubs across England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Sports Foundation

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Civic and Social Organizations (813410)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997)

akta.pro primary industry

Sports Fundraising & Development Services (Foundations, NIL Collectives Support) (MPAKAKAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Athletics Fundraising, Sponsorships & NIL Support (EDALAIAN), Cause, Community & CSR-Linked Sports Partnerships (Foundations, Youth Programs) (MPAKALAJ), Arts, Sports & Recreation-Based Youth Development Nonprofits (BPAGADAJ)

Keywords

• Community rugby development
• Charitable sports foundation
• Youth rugby programmes
• Rugby coaching camps
• Professional rugby club foundation

Headquarters

HQ city

Twickenham

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Memberships and Season Tickets: Revenue generated through Quins+ Membership, Season Ticket Memberships, and Early Access Pass programmes for fans attending matches at Twickenham Stoop Stadium.
2. Merchandise and Retail: Online shop and stadium store sales of Harlequins branded merchandise and apparel.
3. Hospitality and Events: Matchday hospitality packages, seasonal hospitality, The Huddle Lounge, and conference/event venue hire at the stadium.
4. Donations and Charitable Support: Charitable donations received through the Foundation's 'Donate Today' programme to support community programmes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Harlequins Foundation is the charitable arm of Harlequins FC, a Premiership Rugby club, delivering community rugby programmes including residential camps, rugby camps, international training camps, schools programmes, masterclasses, and affiliation partnerships. It raises funds through donations and the club's commercial operations (season ticket memberships, matchday hospitality, merchandise) to create social impact through rugby at Twickenham Stoop Stadium and across England.

Product overview

The Harlequins Foundation is a charitable initiative of Harlequins FC operating as a single unified offering focused on community engagement through rugby. The foundation runs community rugby programmes including residential camps, rugby camps, international training camps, schools programmes, and masterclasses. Supporting infrastructure includes digital ticketing, Quins+ membership programme, matchday hospitality services, and an official mobile app. The portfolio represents a programme-driven charitable model rather than a traditional product platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Community Rugby Programmes (Camps, Schools, Masterclasses)

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.

• DHLmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerDHL is a major sponsor of Harlequins Rugby Club, visible as a logo partner across the website. DHL branding appears on competition pages and they run fan experience competitions including 'DHL Behind The Scenes Competition' and 'DHL ULTIMATE FAN EXPERIENCE'.
• CastoremajorGTM or Marketing PartnerCastore is the official kit supplier and partner for Harlequins Rugby Club, visible as a logo partner on the website. Castore provides official match and training apparel for the club.
• GallaghermajorGTM or Marketing PartnerGallagher is the title sponsor of the Premiership Rugby league, under which Harlequins competes. Visible as a logo partner on the website representing the club's primary league competition.
• Premiership RugbycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremiership Rugby is the governing league body for Gallagher Premiership Rugby. The Harlequins Foundation benefits from participation in league-wide community and development initiatives.
• Premiership Women's Rugby (PWR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPremiership Women's Rugby is the governing league for women's professional rugby. Harlequins Women's team competes in this league, with the Foundation supporting pathway development for female players.
• Investec Champions CupcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerInvestec Champions Cup is the premier European club rugby competition. Harlequins competes in this elite tournament, with the Foundation benefiting from association with high-profile European rugby.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Saracens Foundation: Charitable arm of Saracens, a Premiership rival club based in North London. Runs an identical operating model — community rugby, schools, and beneficiary programmes — and competes with Harlequins for the same donor and sponsor pool.
• Wooden Spoon: The children's charity of rugby in the UK and Ireland. Closely comparable as a rugby-themed charity focused on youth and community impact, but operating across all clubs rather than under a single club.
• Bath Rugby Foundation: Charitable arm of Bath Rugby, a Premiership club. Offers the same combination of community camps, schools programmes, and health-and-wellbeing initiatives tied to a professional rugby club.
• Wasps Foundation: Former Premiership club foundation that has historically operated community and education programmes tied to elite rugby. Relevant comparable for understanding how Premiership-affiliated foundations operate and the risks they face.
• Northampton Saints Foundation: Charitable foundation of Northampton Saints, a Premiership club. Directly comparable in mission and structure, providing community rugby and education programmes around Franklin's Gardens.
• Leicester Tigers Foundation: Charitable arm of Leicester Tigers, another Gallagher Premiership club. Directly comparable as a Premiership club foundation running community rugby, schools, and health programmes in England.

Broad incumbents

• Lord's Taverners: Established UK charity using cricket to support disadvantaged and disabled young people. While cricket-focused, it is a comparable sports-charity operating model with a focus on youth pathways and community access.
• Premiership Rugby: The governing body of the Gallagher Premiership. Relevant peer at the league level for understanding community programming, sponsor coordination, and the broader funding ecosystem that underpins club foundations.
• RFU (Rugby Football Union): National governing body of rugby union in England. Operates its own community and development programmes and is a natural reference peer for the policy, funding, and participation context around the Foundation's work.

Emerging players

• StreetGames: UK charity using sport to engage disadvantaged young people. Comparable as a sports-based youth development nonprofit, though not rugby-specific, with a similar donor and CSR partner audience.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Harlequins Foundation