Exeter HITZ relocate to Topsham RFC

By Mark Stevens
26/11/19

Just weeks after collecting three of the four major awards at this year’s HITZ Awards in London, the Exeter Chiefs HITZ team are looking to build on their success at a new home within the city.

Moving away from their previous base here at Sandy Park, Exeter HITZ are now located at nearby Topsham Rugby Club for the 2019/20 season.

It’s a switch which HITZ officer Gareth Williams says has already proved highly beneficial, enabling him and his staff to create a safe and welcoming environment that has allowed them to recruit and retain 24 young people onto the award-winning programme.

HITZ uses rugby’s core values of teamwork, respect, enjoyment, discipline and sportsmanship to get young people not in education, training or employment (NEET) back into education, training, apprenticeships and/or employment, and is delivered nationally by England’s 12 professional rugby clubs.

The HITZ Learning Academy also offers a relaxed environment targeted at 16 to 18-year-olds to improve their functional maths and English, as well as develop valuable life skills and gain important qualifications alongside experience from work placements and employer-led sessions.

Now several months into life down at Topsham, Gareth has been quick to praise the efforts of not only officials at the club, saying: “I cannot thank the Topsham RFC board and officials enough for their support in helping us to re-locate. The move has help reinvigorate our programme and has made the team feel safe and value in an environment where our team are making significant progress towards achieving their goals.”

Being at Topsham has allowed the Exeter HITZ team to use facilities to develop not only their physical well-being, but also their educational needs where part of the clubhouse is used as a classroom.

A further boost to the programme has seen former Exeter Rugby Club player and local businessman, Andy Bassett, come in to assist with sessions. He has been able to use his experience of running successful businesses to come in and advise the young team on how to build a business and also how to gain knowledge on how to attain future employment.