Sussex Schools Rugby League
One of our goals at Brighton & Hove Rugby League is to build a vibrant Rugby League community. With our partners Sport Brighton (the sports arm of the University of Brighton) and Brighton & Hove Council School Games Organisers, we’re building a Sussex Schools Rugby League programme to increase participation in our fantastic sport.
2026 Season
Sussex Schools Rugby League 9s Tournaments
The InspiredBy 9s is a simpler format of the game and is ideal for new players to learn the sport. The tournaments at Y7 and Y8 also act as qualifiers for the Y7 and Y8 South of England 9s.
RFL Champion Schools
This is played 13-a-side and is close to the full version of the sport.
Competitions Dates:
SUSSEX SCHOOLS RUGBY LEAGUE 9S TOURNAMENTS
Thursday 14th May – Y7/8 Girls
Wednesday 3rd June – Y7 Boys
Thursday 4th June – Y8 Boys
Tuesday 9th June – Y9 Boys
Wednesday 17th June – Y9/10 Girls (Development Event)
SOUTH OF ENGLAND 9S – NORMALLY TOP 2 TEAMS IN SUSSEX QUALIFY
Tuesday 23rd June – Y7 Boys & Y7 Girls
Thursday 25th June – Y8 Boys & Y8 Girls
The tournaments will likely start around 2pm and finish around 5pm, depending on number of entrants. All tournaments will take place at Cardinal Newman.
The winner of each tournament may be invited to take part in the RFL South of England 9s Tournament on Tuesday 23rd June (Y7 Boys & Girls) and Thursday 25th June (Y8 Boys & Girls). If the winning team cannot make it, the second-placed team will be invited etc. There may also be additional teams invited based on space available at the South of England.
Squad Sizes:
Maximum of 15 players per squad
Boys Tournament will be played 9-a-side
Girls Tournament will be played 9-a-side where possible, but minimum of 6-a-side in each game
Team that don’t have a full squad can combine with other schools if needed. Please note that if you don’t have a full squad, you can still play in the Tournament but you may be ineligible for the South of England 9s.
There is no charge for any of these activities.
Secondary Schools
The 2023/24 Academic Year saw us host our first ever Secondary Schools tournaments, with teams taking part from Y7-Y9 for both Boys & Girls.
2025 Sussex 9s Championship Winners
Y9 Boys – Cardinal Newman
Y8 Boys – Dorothy Stringer
Y7/8 Girls – St Oscar Romero
Y7 Boys – Dorothy Stringer
2024 Sussex 9s Championship Winners
Y8 Boys: Kings, Hove
Y8 Girls: St Oscar Romero
Y7 Boys: Dorothy Stringer
Y7 Girls: St Oscar Romero
2023 Sussex 9s Championship Winners
Y7 Boys: Cardinal Newman
Y7 Girls: St Oscar Romero
A Pathway for Every School
Just as every player is unique, we recognise that every school has different outcomes they’re looking for. We’ve got three pathway levels to allow each school to enjoy Rugby League at their own level.
Development Days – Summer Term
Our Development Days are all about learning the skills – both for students and for teachers! They’re led by our coaches, supported by players from Newman College, who were runners-up in the RFL National Colleges Cup in 22/23. Players learn the core skills and play some friendly matches.
Sussex InspiredBy 9s Championship – Summer Term
The Sussex 9s Championship is an entry point to competitive Rugby League. Smaller squads and simplified rules means it’s accessible for teams who are relatively new to the sport. The Sussex 9s Championship is played over one day and the winners may be invited to take place in the South of England 9s Championship.
Champion Schools – Winter Term (local & regional boys)/Easter Term (regional girls and national boys & girls)
The RFL Champion Schools programme is the National Schools competition. It is 13-a-side and on a full pitch. The finals are held at a variety of cool venues – with Y7 boys playing at Wembley before the Challenge Cup and Y8-10 playing before the Super League’s Magic Weekend.
Schools that want to enter must progress through several rounds to reach the National knockout stages. Currently Sussex has one qualifier team to the London & South East regional tournament, out of which two teams (one at Y11) progress to the National Knockout Rounds.
In 2023/24, Sussex School Cardinal Newman reached the London & South East Y9 Boys final and the National Knockout rounds, and St Oscaro Romero qualified for the Y8 Girls National Festival and Cardinal Newman the Y10 Girls National Festival.
Representative Opportunity
Following the Schools season, we are looking to build a short Representative season, which will include a block of training sessions followed by a fixture between the best players across all schools and other nominated players.
School Membership Frequently Asked Questions
Both! Our general competition focus is for Primary Schools to play Tag Rugby League and Secondary Schools to play Tackle Rugby League, but both sets of resources are available to all schools so that schools have the freedom to choose what they teach.
What is the cost of membership?
Membership is FREE for schools in 2024.
Do we have to take part in the competitions?
No – all schools are free to just use the resources to deliver their own PE lessons or extra-curricular clubs. With that said, there are three tiers of competition, which includes non-competitive Development Days which may support learning.
Can a school outside of Sussex sign up?
Yes, schools outside of Sussex can sign up to access the free resources and invitations to Sussex-based competitions and CPD events (as long as they’re willing to travel of course) but schools outside of Sussex will unfortunately not be eligible for the Prize Draw or for Sussex Schools RL coaching in their schools.
What is the Prize Draw?
Schools that sign up before 28th February 2024 will be entered into a draw to receive a Rugby League equipment pack and a free coaching session at their school. There will be on Primary School winner and one Secondary School winner.
Primary School Equipment Pack: 8x Size 4 Rugby League Balls + Bag, 1x set of 20 Rugby League Tag Belts & 40 Tags (2 colours of Tags)
Secondary School Equipment Pack: 8x Size 4 Rugby League Balls + Bag
Is there any other support you can offer?
Our resources are limited, however Brighton & Hove Rugby League are looking to support a small number of targeted schools within the city who don’t normally have the chance to access Rugby (both League & Union) opportunities, especially where schools are in areas of deprivation. If this sounds like your school and you’re interested, please email philward@brightonhoverl.com to discuss further.
2022/23 Academic Year in Numbers
520
Number of players involved in 2022/23
30
Number of schools involved in 2022/23
225
Number of female players involved in 2022/23