Grassroots rugby across Wales is being celebrated in a permanent photographic display which has been unveiled at the Millennium Stadium today.
The images captured show players, coaches, match officials, supporters and volunteers enjoying the national sport of Wales.
The pictures are all part of a joint project organised by the Welsh Rugby Union and University of Wales, Newport which has taken more than six months to complete.
Three students from the university’s photography department have been travelling the length and breadth of Wales to shoot images of community rugby.
The theme of the project was to show how rugby affects the communities and areas where the national sport of Wales has been a part of life for decades.
As well as action on the field the students have pointed their cameras at the sidelines and ventured into the changing rooms, the clubhouses and the surrounding streets to see how far the impact of rugby reaches into the communities.
All the pictures have been taken by students Alice Carfrae, Luke Ball and Steven Pepper who each chose a theme of what to look for in the clubs they concentrated on.
Clubs featured in the project called Grassroots Rugby include Fishguard & Goodwick, Cardigan, Pyle, Porthcawl, Taibach, Gwernyfed, Blackwood, Caldicot, Brecon, Aberdare, Ynysddu, Croesyceiliog Women, Shotton and Bangor.
A collection of the pictures have been placed on permanent display in the Media Centre within the Millennium Stadium where hundreds of reporters, photographers, broadcasters and camera operators gather on matchdays.
Another selection of the photographs is being displayed in public areas of the Millennium Stadium so that supporters can see the images as they are entering and leaving the ground.
The WRU is also planning to exhibit the pictures at other venues around Wales including the local rugby clubs.
WRU Chief Executive Roger Lewis said: “Community Rugby is one of the three pillars of the Welsh Rugby Union and I’m thrilled to launch a project which celebrates the community game at the home of our national sport, the Millennium Stadium.
“The excellent images captured by the University’s photography students depict the importance of rugby within communities right across Wales and it’s apt that they find a permanent home here.”
“The dedication of the three students throughout this project was fantastic and the final edit of the images showcased today was a tough task.
“It is my intention that more and more of these images will appear for rugby fans to enjoy across Wales and I extend my thanks to all of the rugby clubs and individuals involved the project.”
WRU Chairman David Pickering added: “The development and celebration of the community game is a key priority for the Welsh Rugby Union and this project champions the national sport of Wales at the grassroots level.
“Our clubs are the hubs of communities up and down Wales and this project reflects the importance of that activity.
“The three students involved are exceptionally talented individuals and the images they have gathered are a true celebration of the importance of community rugby. They have travelled all over Wales so that the exhibitions will show that rugby truly is our national sport.
“Hundreds of pictures were taken as part of the project and it has been really difficult to choose a selection to put on display.”
Geraint Cunnick, Head of Fine Art and Photography at University of Wales, Newport said: “Our students have done an amazing job on what is a very exciting project. We were delighted to collaborate with the WRU to document the often unseen side of Welsh rugby.
“This exhibition is a fitting tribute to the way the game impacts on thousands of lives in communities across Wales and it is an honour for the University to have been involved in such a prestigious, creative project.”
Student Alice Carfrae said: “I decided to focus my project on how small rural communities in Wales are often drawn together in rugby.”
Luke Ball explained: “I wanted to show the way the working men unwind at the end of the week and the sport which bring their community together.”
Steven Pepper added: “The rugby club is not an island but the centre of a community and a way of life.”
