Libera Rugby Strengthens Queer Accessibility Through Safer and More Inclusive Welcoming Practices

September 16, 2026 by

EGLSF Editorial Team

For LGBTQI+ people, taking the first step into a new sports club can come with barriers that are not always visible. In Rome, Libera Rugby Club is working to change that by making its welcoming process clearer, safer and more accessible, turning its commitment to inclusion into practical, everyday procedures.

With support from the EGLSF’s GAME grant, co-funded by the CERV Programme (EU), Libera Rugby Club launched a project focused on strengthening queer accessibility for LGBTQI+ people, newcomers and beginners, with particular attention to people who may experience additional barriers to participation in sport, including women, lesbians, inter (-gender), non-binary, trans (-gender) and agender (FLINTA/TIN) people.

As part of the initiative, they organised a September Open Day to welcome new participants. However, the project goes far beyond a single event. Its central aim is to improve the entire journey into the club: from the moment someone first gets in touch, to their arrival at training, the information and support they receive, and how they can raise concerns or ask for help.

With this initiative, they tried to answer a fundamental question: how can an inclusive sports club ensure that welcoming people does not depend only on good intentions or informal habits, but is supported by clear, shared practices?

From inclusive values to practical tools

With support from the EGLSF’s GAME grant, Libera Rugby was able to dedicate time and resources to consultation, internal coordination, communication, and preparing for its September Open Day.

A key part of the process was listening to the community. Through a dedicated huddle and targeted exchanges with people involved in welcoming newcomers, coaching, and everyday team life, the club identified practical barriers people may encounter when approaching rugby for the first time.

These can include arriving without knowing anyone, having no previous rugby experience, uncertainty around changing spaces or physical contact, language barriers, and not knowing who to approach if something feels uncomfortable or goes wrong.

The consultation helped turn these experiences into action. Libera Rugby developed a series of resources designed to make inclusion part of the club's everyday operations. These include a Policy Pack and Code of Conduct, safeguarding and reporting procedures, an incident-reporting template and a Welcome Protocol. The project also produced specific FLINTA operational guidance and a concise Quick Reference for coaches, volunteers and others taking on welcoming roles.

Together, these resources create a more structured and replicable system for supporting people as they enter the club.

Making inclusion a shared responsibility

One of the project's most important achievements is not simply creating new documents, but adopting them as shared standards within the club.

By giving coaches, volunteers, buddies and team members practical guidance, Libera Rugby is working to ensure that inclusion is understood as a collective responsibility. A welcoming environment is not created by one person or one event; it is built through consistent actions across the club.

The grant also supported the development of a monitoring system for onboarding and follow-up, allowing the club to better understand the journey from initial contact to a first training session and, where possible, continued participation.

This represents an important shift: queer inclusion becomes not only something the club believes in, but something it can implement, review, and improve.

Building a model that lasts beyond the project

The next major step is putting these tools into practice during the September Open Day and the start of the new rugby season.

The Welcome Protocol, FLINTA guidance, buddy system and monitoring tracker will help the club create a more consistent experience for newcomers and learn from their experiences. The Open Day therefore acts not as the end of the project, but as an opportunity to put the new approach into action.

The impact is intended to extend well beyond September. The resources developed through the project can continue to support future Open Days, training sessions, onboarding processes and volunteer briefings, embedding accessibility into the ordinary life of the club rather than treating it as a one-off initiative.

The approach developed in Rome could also inform other Libera Rugby activities and future initiatives in both Rome and Milan.

For Libera Rugby, the project marks a step towards a simple but important goal: ensuring that inclusive rugby is not only visible, but operational, measurable and sustainable.

By examining the small moments that shape whether someone feels able to enter a sports space, stay there and become part of its community, Libera Rugby is helping turn the principle of sport for all into everyday practice.