We launch Easy Read for Challenge Cup Finals

As the Official Social Care Partner of Rugby League, we have launched the 2025 edition of our pioneering Easy Read Guide to the Betfred Challenge Cup Finals, set to take place at Wembley Stadium on Saturday, 7 June.

This unique and innovative resource, designed together with members of our charity’s Support Squad – a group of people we support who are employed to share their experiences and enable organisations to become more accessible – aims to make Rugby League more understandable to new and diverse audiences.

Easy read is a special form of written communications which uses carefully constructed, simple sentences and supportive images to make information easier to understand.

The guide provides clear, easy-to-follow coverage of the day’s events, including the Men’s and Women’s Challenge Cup Finals and explains the sport’s basics in an simple but engaging way.

The 2025 Easy Read Guide to the Challenge Cup Finals is available to download here.

The 2025 finals will feature:

• Women’s Betfred Challenge Cup Final: Wigan Warriors vs. St Helens (11:45 AM BST)
• Men’s Betfred Challenge Cup Final: Warrington Wolves vs. Hull KR (3:00 PM BST)
• AB Sundecks 1895 Cup Final: Featherstone Rovers vs. York Knights (5:45 PM BST)

John Hughes, Director of Partnerships and Communities at Community Integrated Care, said: “Last year’s guide enabled many people to attend the tournament and discover the sport for the first time. Rugby League was the first sport to create an Easy Read guide, reflecting our shared passion for a more inclusive society and the strength of our partnership with the sport. We extend our heartfelt thanks to the Support Squad members who co-produced it, highlighting the impact of the paid employment they accessed in developing the guide.”

Ben Abberstein, Senior EDI Partner at the Rugby Football League, said: “We’re proud to partner with Community Integrated Care on this groundbreaking guide. It’s a brilliant tool for making our sport more welcoming, and we’re especially thankful to their Support Squad for sharing their insights and creativity in bringing it to life.”

The partnership between our charity and Rugby League has been acknowledged as a model example in the sports and social care sector guides, including winning the ‘Care Innovator’ honour at the Great British Care Awards and ‘Best Community Scheme’ at the Sports Business Awards.
 
See the impact of the first-ever guide at the 2024 Challenge Cup Final, here and read more here.