Sporting Heritage CIC

Community Grant Projects - Round One Explore the projects awarded Community Grant Round One Funding and taking place currently.

Support like this enables long-term protection of sporting heritage for future generations.

@EnglandRugby @Scotlandteam @WalesRugbyL

🔗 Discover more: tinyurl.com/3z4ncwmy

Volunteers categorised and photographed a large collection, establishing a clear framework for future heritage work. The archive will play a central role in the club’s 150th Anniversary in 2025, including museum exhibitions and a permanent legacy collection.

What does it take to protect a club’s heritage for the next generation? Case Study: @WWRLFoundation Digital Archive. £2,500 from Sporting Heritage supported the creation of a digital archive, collating memorabilia across men’s, women’s, disability & school rugby league.

Gilbert Laird Jessop - A Batting Phenomenon Gilbert Laird Jessop was a’ batting phenomenon’ in the late 19th and early 20th century and still holds the record for the fastest century by an Englishman in a test match, achieved at the Oval over…

On our website, we feature a series of articles by Bill Williams from the online magazine Playing Pasts, exploring Jessop’s school and early career, his greatest moment, and the illness that ended it all.

Discover more here: tinyurl.com/54kxxk45

#England #Cricket #crickethistory #sportingheritage

Gilbert Laird Jessop - A Batting Phenomenon Gilbert Laird Jessop was a’ batting phenomenon’ in the late 19th and early 20th century and still holds the record for the fastest century by an Englishman in a test match, achieved at the Oval over…

Gilbert Laird Jessop was a ‘batting phenomenon’ in the late 19th and early 20th century. He still holds the record for the fastest century by an Englishman in a Test match, achieved at The Oval over 120 years ago.

As the T20 Cricket World Cup takes centre stage this weekend, we’re taking a moment to look back at one of England’s most explosive cricketers.

Secure your free place 👉 tinyurl.com/58s9j54z
Sessions can be joined individually, and recordings will be available via the Sporting Heritage YouTube channel.

This third session focuses on building strong peer networks and what you need in place before going for peer review as part of the Significance Assessment process.

FREE Webinar | Welsh Collection Significance
Session 3: How to build your museum’s peer networks
📅 Wed 25 Feb | 10.30–11.30 (Online)

Sporting Heritage Awards 2025 - Hall of Fame Wearesoproudanddelightedtoannouncethe2025SportingHeritageAwardwinnerswhoenterourHallofFameWejustwantedtosay,thatwewereoverwhelmedbythevarietyandqualityofapplicationsfortheawardsthisyear,representinga…

t a time of division, Looking Back brings people together through shared passion, promoting connection, identity and harmony. Discover the Hall of Fame: tinyurl.com/yj8efyhy #sportingheritage #lookingbackcic #shawards

They encouraged participants to explore the rich heritage of rugby league, with the project continuing to grow in strength and reach. The sessions reinforced that participants, their families and communities are part of rugby league’s living heritage.

Not every outstanding piece of work can take home a main award, but some deserve special recognition for the depth, impact and importance of their contribution to sporting heritage. Looking Back began during the pandemic, when sessions offered a vital lifeline for people experiencing isolation.

Free Welsh Collection Significance Webinar Series Ever wondered how to embark on assessing your collection’s significance? Join us for bitesize sessions in January - March 2026 to find out more.

Secure your free place 👉 tinyurl.com/58s9j54z
Sessions can be joined individually, and recordings will be available via the Sporting Heritage YouTube channel.

#sportingheritage

This third session focuses on building strong peer networks and what you need in place before going for peer review as part of the Significance Assessment process.

FREE Webinar | Welsh Collection Significance
Session 3: How to build your museum’s peer networks
📅 Wed 25 Feb | 10.30–11.30 (Online)

Supporting Scotland’s Sporting Heritage – Business Archives Surveying Officer Business Archives Surveying Officer

The project will identify collections at risk, strengthen access, and build a clearer national picture of Scotland’s sporting archives through surveying and public engagement.

Follow updates:
www.surveyingofficer.co.uk/SSSH

Dr Justine Reilly, Director at Sporting Heritage, said: “Sporting heritage has too often been hidden or ignored. We are proud to be a key delivery partner in this important project to preserve collections and celebrate Scotland’s sporting heritage.”

Supporting Scotland’s Sporting Heritage.

As Scotland prepares for the World Cup finals, we’re working to ensure the stories behind the headlines aren’t lost.

Funded by @HeritageFundUK, this project will map and protect Scotland’s sporting archives. @‌natlibscot.bsky.social

Collections A wealth of information on how to manage and care for your collections as well as how to approach digitising your material and what to do if you think your collection might be at risk.

Good collection care is about clarity, consistency and patience. Even small steps make a difference. Explore the Collections section of the Toolkit and get the support you need.
👉 tinyurl.com/mr2wepn3

The Sporting Heritage Toolkit, developed with the support of Sport England, offers practical, flexible guidance for looking after sporting collections, whatever your size or starting point.

Collections matter because people matter. From medals and match programmes to photographs and archives, collections hold stories of pride, identity and community, connecting people to their sporting past.

Secure your free place 👉 tinyurl.com/58s9j54z

With thanks to the Welsh Government for supporting this programme.

#collectionaudit#welshheritage #sportingheritage

Part of a free series supporting you to assess your collection’s significance. Sessions can be joined individually, and recordings will be available to watch back.

FREE Webinar | Welsh Collection Significance
Session 2: How to conduct a significance audit
📅 Wed 11 Feb | 10.30–11.30 (Online)

Celebrating Women in Rugby League - The Pioneering Years Project This National Sporting Heritage Day, we at Women in Rugby League were delighted to show our appreciation and celebrate all the help we have received to promote our great sport, most recently through…

Due to its success, the model will now be replicated nationally, helping preserve the stories of women’s international rugby league and strengthening school and community partnerships. Read more: tinyurl.com/mvbvyujf

Perceptions of women in sport shifted, and veteran players received moving recognition. Teachers rated the project 5/5 for changing pupils’ ideas about women’s rugby and engaging reluctant learners, with many noting how it helped break down stereotypes.

Tailored lessons reached 360 pupils across five schools, featuring first-hand accounts from former Great Britain Lionesses & placing lived experience at the heart of learning. Pupils wrote their own newspaper articles, building literacy and critical thinking while exploring resilience,.

What happens when living sporting history is brought into the classroom? With a £2,000 Sporting Heritage Community Grant, Women in Rugby League marked its 40th anniversary by revisiting the 1996 Great Britain tour of Australia.

Secure your free place 👉 tinyurl.com/58s9j54z

With thanks to the Welsh Government for supporting this programme.

#collectionaudit#welshheritage #sportingheritage

Part of a free series supporting you to assess your collection’s significance. Sessions can be joined individually, and recordings will be available to watch back.