England rugby union international Charlie Ewels was blown away by his first trip to Liverpool, praising the city's character and Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium as 'one of the nicest stadiums' he has ever experienced. Ewels, along with teammates Ted Hill and Manny Iyogun, and coaches Richard Wigglesworth and Byron McGuigan, participated in an event run by Everton in the Community and supported by Sale Sharks Foundation at the People's Hub on Spellow Lane.
Community Engagement and Rugby Introduction
The event, attended by Everton in the Community CEO Sue Gregory and RFU CEO Bill Sweeney—a passionate Evertonian—saw the England squad engage with primary school children in a digital skills lab and creative studio activity. They later conducted team-building activities and T1 rugby sessions with young people from the interventions programme. Ewels, 31, enthusiastically described the experience: 'That was a lot of fun. I was chatting to some of the kids before and they asked me: "Rugby, what's that? I've not heard of it." Then, within 30 seconds they've gone from probably never touching a rugby ball before to passing it back to each other and hitting the target every time and they're loving it. That's really cool.'
He added: 'I think we play a wonderful game. I want everyone to experience our game, and I think the values of our game apply to everyone, so the more people who get to experience our game and play our game, fall in love with our game, the better.' Ewels noted that while not every child will continue playing, the exposure could spark a lasting interest: 'It doesn't necessarily mean that they're all going to go on and play it forever, but if they can learn to appreciate it, it might be that one of them finds it and that's the sport for them.'
Record-Breaking Match and Stadium Praise
England subsequently ended a five-game losing streak with a 73-8 victory over Fiji at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium, their largest ever win against the Pacific Island nation. The match, with Fiji as the nominal hosts, drew a record attendance of 50,209 for a Fiji home game. It was England's first match away from Twickenham since 2019. Ewels praised the stadium: 'We were there for training and genuinely, it's one of the nicest stadiums I've ever been in. It's unbelievable, the setting of it, the stadium itself, I can't wait to see it full on Saturday and hear the noise.'
Ewels also expressed his admiration for Liverpool: 'This is my first time in Liverpool but I love it. We were down in town earlier on Bold Street and that kind of vibe, that kind of feel, I like places like that when they're not sterile and they've got a bit about them. Just driving around, we've seen Goodison Park, we've been to the new stadium and had a look at Anfield, you get a feel for the city. Football is ingrained in this place but also the docks and the Beatles, I like coming to places that have got history and stuff about them.'
Rugby Growth and Personal Connections
Ewels, a lock forward from Bournemouth, noted the growing interest in rugby in football-dominated areas. He encouraged his Bournemouth friends to attend Bath games, where they enjoy the matchday atmosphere. Nearly 5,000 people played rugby across 21 Merseyside rugby union clubs last year, including 3,153 age-grade players—a 6% increase—and a 13% rise in registered girls from 281 to 316. T1 rugby, a non-contact form of the sport, is being used in schools and community programmes to introduce rugby union to young people.
