Tag Rugby Trust

What Tag Rugby Trust does

Tag Rugby Trust is a UK-registered charity (Charity Commission No. 1108947) founded in 2002 that uses tag rugby as a delivery vehicle for education, leadership, and community development programmes. Its operations are now rooted in Zimbabwe, anchored by the off-grid, solar-powered Sizinda Camp near Victoria Falls, with additional programme presence in Bulawayo and Harare. Over 20+ years, the organisation has worked across Uganda, Zambia, India, Mexico, and Kenya before consolidating in Zimbabwe from 2019 onward.

The portfolio comprises eight distinct community programmes organised under an Engage, Educate, Impact framework: I'm Able Through Rugby (IATR) for adaptive/inclusive sport, Female Inspiration Through Rugby (FITR) for girls' empowerment, Young Leadership Development for secondary students, Food Security Initiative, City Kings & Queens (street children support), Human-Wildlife Conflict education, the iZEEKO Foundation (plastic waste recycling social enterprise), and immersive Tours & Exchanges hosted at Sizinda Camp. Cumulative reported outcomes include 180,000+ lives empowered, 80 community clubs across Zimbabwe, 15,000 children impacted annually, 150+ locations reached, and 1,417 community-led projects completed.

Revenue is generated through five streams: tour and programme fees (individuals, schools, alumni, corporate groups visiting Zimbabwe), donations via JustGiving, corporate brand partnerships through The Tag Collective (Freddie's Flowers, Scimitar Sportswear, Gilbert, Lontex Cargo), kit and equipment contributions, and long-running school partnerships (Stonyhurst, Mill Hill, Esher High, Hockerill College). Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed; tours are delivered between Easter and October, and the off-grid Sizinda Camp serves as the operational and experiential backbone. Leadership is anchored by Founder & Chairman Martin Hansford, Patron Ed Whitfield, Country Director Tinashe Shamu, Trustee Rob Newman, and Country Manager Thembelani Ncube.

Name

Tag Rugby Trust

Legal name

Tag Rugby Trust

Website

https://tagrugbytrust.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Charitable Community Sport Development

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394), Other Similar Organizations (except Business, Professional, Labor, and Political Organizations) (813990), Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Environment, Conservation and Wildlife Organizations (813312)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Miscellaneous Amusement & Recreation (7990)

akta.pro primary industry

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

akta.pro secondary industries

Local Amateur Clubs & Community Sports Organizations (MPAKACAE), Disability & Adaptive Sports Organizations (Paralympic, Special Olympics) (MPAKACAH), Cause, Community & CSR-Linked Sports Partnerships (Foundations, Youth Programs) (MPAKALAJ)

Keywords

• Community sports programmes
• Youth development charity
• Rugby education outreach
• Social impact tours
• Inclusive sport programmes

Headquarters

HQ city

Kampala

HQ country

Uganda

HQ region

Africa

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Tour and Programme Fees: Fees for participating in tours to Zimbabwe cover accommodation, meals, transport, and activities at Sizinda Camp. Tours are open to individuals, schools, alumni groups, and corporate teams.
2. Donations and Fundraising: Individual donations via JustGiving platform. Fundraising events, challenges, and runs support education, leadership, conservation, and community initiatives.
3. Corporate Partnerships: Brand partnerships with organisations seeking to support community development through sport. Partners include Freddie's Flowers, Scimitar Sportswear, Gilbert, and others who fund projects and amplify campaigns.
4. Kit and Equipment Donations: Donations of rugby kit, equipment, and end-of-lease tech that can be refurbished and reused. Sets of 10 in consistent sizes are requested; a small contribution may be requested for shipping.
5. School Partnerships: Partnerships with schools and clubs for tours, fundraising, and long-term collaboration aligned with educational outcomes.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Tag Rugby Trust is a UK-registered charity that uses tag rugby as a delivery tool for community development and social impact programmes, primarily in Zimbabwe. Its core offerings include community-based programmes (I'm Able Through Rugby, Female Inspiration Through Rugby, Young Leadership Development, Food Security, City Kings & Queens, Human-Wildlife Conflict, and iZEEKO plastic recycling), immersive tours to Sizinda Camp near Victoria Falls, school and corporate partnerships, and the off-grid Sizinda Camp facility supporting all programmes.

Product overview

Tag Rugby Trust is a charitable organization offering a portfolio of community programmes centered on tag rugby as a tool for education, leadership, and social impact in Zimbabwe. The core offering comprises eight distinct programmes: I'm Able Through Rugby (IATR) for adaptive sports inclusion; Female Inspiration Through Rugby (FITR) for girls' empowerment; Young Leadership Development (YL) for youth leadership; Food Security Initiative for community self-sufficiency; City Kings & Queens for street children support; Human-Wildlife Conflict Programme for conservation education; and the iZEEKO Foundation for plastic waste recycling. These programmes are delivered through experiential offerings including Tours & Exchanges to Zimbabwe and the off-grid Sizinda Camp base. Supporting offerings include Tag Coach Training for coaches, documentary films, The Tag Collective community platform, and Brand Partnerships for corporate engagement. All programmes operate under an Engage, Educate, Impact framework.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• I'm Able Through Rugby (IATR) Adaptive coaching programme ensuring people of all abilities can experience tag rugby, creating inclusive spaces for movement, confidence, and belonging. Targeted at people with disabilities in Zimbabwe.
• Female Inspiration Through Rugby (FITR)
• Young Leadership Development (YL)
• Food Security Initiative
• City Kings & Queens
• Human-Wildlife Conflict Programme
• iZEEKO Foundation (Plastic Waste Recycling)
• Tours & Exchanges Immersive participation-based tours to Zimbabwe combining tag rugby coaching, conservation work, community engagement, and sustainable living at Sizinda Camp near Victoria Falls. Open to individuals, schools, alumni groups, and corporate teams.
• Sizinda Camp Off-grid operational base near Victoria Falls and Zambezi National Park supporting Tag Rugby Trust's education, conservation, and community programmes; hosts invited education tours and adult impact tours. Runs entirely on solar power and built using local materials.

Quantifiable outcome

• 180,000+ lives empowered over 20+ years
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Catherine Spencer and Lindsay AnfieldminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016International rugby players supported FITR programme in Uganda, concluding with match against Uganda Lady Cranes.
• Bath RFC MinisminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2015Donated 70 small-sized club shirts for young rugby players in Zimbabwe. Previous donation in 2015; ongoing relationship with kit donations.
• Rugby Football Union (RFU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Partnerships brought England Counties teams to East Africa. Tours combined competitive rugby with deep community engagement.
• Freddie's FlowerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFreddie's Flowers partners with TRT to support three key community initiatives: expanding female empowerment initiative, launching street child programme in Bulawayo & Harare, and supporting small-scale community food production across five sites. TRT's Country Director Tinashe Shamu oversees project delivery.
• The Atlas FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in food security projects, supporting community food production initiatives alongside Freddie's Flowers and Old Mutual.
• Old MutualcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in food security projects, supporting community food production initiatives.
• National FoodsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided support for building broiler chicken enclosures as part of food security initiative.
• Scimitar SportswearcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeatured TRT and Stonyhurst College tour on their blog. Believes sport has power to connect, educate, and inspire. Partnership embodies this belief.
• GilbertminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEquipment partner mentioned alongside Scimitar Sportswear and Lontex Cargo.
• Lontex CargominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogistics partner supporting TRT operations.
• Scripture UnioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for City Kings and Queens project, bringing hope and support to 48 street individuals in Bulawayo. Partner Kyros Ubuntu also credited.
• Kyros UbuntuminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in City Kings and Queens project in Bulawayo.
• Global Service GroupminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmployee Wesley from Zimbabwe discovered GSG supports projects back home. Witnessed TRT programmes during December return visit.
• EleCrewminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerConservation partner introducing participants to human-wildlife coexistence and environmental education during tours in Victoria Falls region.
• iZEEKO FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLaunched by Tag Rugby Trust, works with local communities in Victoria Falls to collect and repurpose plastic waste, turning environmental challenge into economic opportunity.
• Hockerill CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDocumentary partnership - Ubuntu film capturing the exchange and partnership between TRT and Hockerill College.
• Kidz AfricaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTRT Zimbabwe coaches travelled to South Africa with Kidz Africa for coaching exchange.
• CHADA Old People's HomeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity partnership site where tour participants support practical tasks alongside local staff - maintenance, repairs, preparation.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• PeacePlayers International: Uses basketball to bring together young people from divided communities. Comparable sport-for-development delivery model with an explicit peacebuilding/inclusion lens, similar to TRT's adaptive (IATR) and girls' (FITR) inclusion programmes.
• Sported: UK charity supporting grassroots sport-for-development groups. Comparable in mission and UK charity positioning, though Sported operates as an umbrella/funder of community sport groups rather than directly delivering programmes like TRT.
• Moving the Goalposts: Kenyan NGO using football for girls' empowerment and sexual/reproductive health. Directly comparable to TRT's Female Inspiration Through Rugby (FITR) programme in mission and delivery approach, with similar sport-as-platform theory of change.
• Skateistan: Uses skateboarding as a delivery tool for education and youth empowerment in disadvantaged communities across multiple countries. Directly comparable sport-for-development model to TRT, including a mix of direct programme delivery and paid 'experiences' for international visitors.
• Football Beyond Borders: UK-based charity using football to support young people from under-served communities through education and personal development. Comparable sport-for-development model with strong UK school partnership angle, similar to TRT's UK school tour pipeline.
• Laureus Sport for Good: Global foundation funding sport-for-development programmes that use sport to address social challenges. Comparable to TRT as both an operator and a convener of sport-for-development partners and funders, with strong brand storytelling built on elite athlete ambassadors.
• Right to Play: International NGO using sport and play to deliver education and child development outcomes in disadvantaged communities across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Highly comparable to TRT in mission, sport-as-tool delivery model, and geographic footprint.
• Kick4Life: Lesotho-based charity using football for HIV prevention, education, and youth empowerment. Comparable to TRT in using sport to deliver social outcomes in a Southern African context, with similar small-team NGO operating model.

Others

• England Rugby Community: The community arm of the Rugby Football Union. Relevant as a featured media partner and ecosystem enabler for TRT; comparable in rugby-specific sport-development focus, though operating at much larger scale as a national governing body.
• The Atlas Foundation: Existing TRT partner and sport-for-development funder. Listed as a peer given its comparable sport-for-development mission and active engagement with food security programmes alongside TRT, though it operates primarily as a funder rather than direct deliverer.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@Tagrugbytrust
• Facebookfacebook.com/tagrugbytrust
• Instagraminstagram.com/tagrugbytrust
• Xx.com/tagrugbytrust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Tag Rugby Trust