England rugby union international Charlie Ewels was full of praise for Liverpool after his first visit to the city, where he and teammates participated in a community event organized by Everton in the Community. The 31-year-old lock forward, along with Ted Hill and Manny Iyogun, joined coaches Richard Wigglesworth and Byron McGuigan at the People's Hub on Spellow Lane on Friday, engaging with primary school children in digital skills and rugby activities.
Community Engagement at Goodison Campus
The event, supported by Sale Sharks Foundation, saw the England squad members interact with young people at Everton's Goodison Campus. Activities included a digital skills lab, creative studio sessions, team-building exercises, and T1 rugby—a non-contact form of the sport designed to introduce children to rugby union. Nearly 5,000 people played rugby across Merseyside's 21 clubs last year, including 3,153 age-grade players, a 6% increase from the previous year. The biggest growth was among registered girls, up 13% from 281 to 316.
Ewels told the ECHO: "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."
Record Attendance and Historic Match
The visit coincided with England's 73-8 victory over Fiji at Everton's Hill Dickinson Stadium, a match that drew a record crowd of 50,209 for a Fiji home game. It was England's first match away from Twickenham since 2019. Ewels praised the stadium, saying: "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."
The lock forward also expressed his love for Liverpool's character: "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. 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's Growth in Merseyside
Ewels, who hails from Bournemouth, noted the potential for rugby to grow in football-dominated areas. He said: "I come from Bournemouth which is a pretty football-heavy area as well. There wasn't a lot of rugby going on but I wasn't very good at football and I didn't enjoy it. I found rugby and I loved it. It fitted me and suited what I wanted to do." He encouraged children to try the sport, adding: "Maybe one of the kids here today has played a game that they're going to go on and play again? If not, at least when they see rugby on the television, they'll be like: 'Oh yeah, I remember that day.'"
T1 rugby, the non-contact format used in the session, is being implemented in schools and community programmes across the UK. The event also featured RFU CEO Bill Sweeney, a lifelong Everton fan, and Everton in the Community CEO Sue Gregory.
