Thursday 11 September 2014 18:01, UK
Prince Harry, Matt Hampson and England Rugby Head Coach, Stuart Lancaster, help shape the lives of unemployed rugby players from Birmingham in the new series of School of Hard Knocks on Sky Sports and Sky 1 HD.
School of Hard Knocks begins Friday 12 September and follows a squad recruited in Birmingham as they are guided by World Cup winner, Will Greenwood and Welsh legend Scott Quinnell, over the course of seven weeks as they learn the skills of rugby union and the benefits of working as a team.
As well as rugby and fitness training, the participants take part in a series of one-off experiences with influential mentors that are aimed at developing their life skills. Prince Harry joins the participants for training and job interview rehearsals. A visit from former England age group international, Matt Hampson, inspires the boys to have a more positive outlook on life and England Rugby Head Coach Stuart Lancaster makes a guest appearance to lead a warm-up session and shirt presentation - giving the boys even more motivation.
Will Greenwood, co-presenter and coach of School of Hard Knocks, said “Over 70 per cent of the participants from this year are now in the process of obtaining a job. I have no doubt at all that the visits from Prince Harry, Hambo and Stuart Lancaster have had a massive impact on this. Prince Harry was great with the boys and really got stuck in which helped raise everyone’s game, both on and off the pitch.”
Fifth-series Croydon graduate and fitness instructor, Michael Henderson also shares his story. After spending 15 years in prison Michael managed to turn his life around through participating in the School of Hard Knocks programme. He is now a full time personal trainer and visits prisons around the country giving motivational talks and guidance.
Will and Scott recruited the participants themselves, inviting them to build a rugby team and take part in a course aimed at improving fitness, social development and life skills with the end goal of getting a job. Over the past six years they have recruited and worked with around 200 unemployed men.
Charity
The group this year reflects the social diversity of the location in Birmingham, which has the highest unemployment rate of any major UK city. With more than twice the UK average of unemployment, almost a fifth of the working age population in Birmingham is without work. In the West Midlands, 14% of young people are claiming Job Seekers Allowance and nearly a quarter of those in Birmingham have been without work for over a year.
School of Hard Knocks is now a registered charity and was awarded the 'Beyond London 2012' Barclays Employability Award presented by Boris Johnson. School of Hard Knocks was one of the six initiatives that were shortlisted as having utilised London 2012 to trigger positive social change and is a leading example of legacy work.
School of Hard Knocks is part of an unrivalled schedule of rugby union on Sky Sports with over 360 live matches from the international, European and domestic game including the Autumn internationals of England, Ireland, France and Italy as well as the Top 14, Guinness PRO12 plus international and domestic fixtures from the southern hemisphere.
Viewers can also keep up to date across mobile devices with Sky Go. 24/7 coverage is available on skysports.com, plus the breaking news, views and scores round the clock on Sky Sports News HD.
