Junior Force

School Ambassador Program (WA Expansion)
Role: Strategic Lead & Engagement Manager (RugbyWA)
Organisation: RugbyWA | In partnership with Rugby Australia

The School Ambassador Program is a nationwide initiative developed by Rugby Australia to empower passionate educators to promote and facilitate rugby in their schools. In Western Australia, I took a hands-on leadership role to expand and localise the program, ensuring it reflected the unique needs of WA’s school landscape — including regional, multicultural, and all-abilities contexts.

🔹 My Contributions:
Led the strategic expansion of the School Ambassador network across WA, from metropolitan Perth to the Kimberley, Pilbara, and Great Southern regions.

Built strong relationships with teachers, principals, and school sport coordinators, ensuring they had the training, resources, and confidence to deliver rugby experiences.

Developed and delivered professional development (PD) workshops, classroom support packs, and digital toolkits for ambassadors.

Aligned the program with WA’s school calendar and curriculum requirements, increasing ease of adoption and sustainability.

Integrated the Ambassador Program into other RugbyWA initiatives, including TriTag, Get Into Rugby, and UWA Force Cup, creating a unified participation ecosystem.

Advocated for ambassador recognition, launching award and incentive pathways (e.g. tickets, kits, certificates) to celebrate their contributions.

🔹 Delivery & Impact:
Expanded the School Ambassador network to over 200 educators across WA within 18 months.

Supported rugby delivery in 300+ schools, spanning urban, regional, and remote contexts.

Enabled 60,000+ students to access rugby programs through trained, committed ambassadors.

Created lasting school-club-community links by equipping ambassadors to transition students into community rugby pathways.

Boosted visibility and sustainability of rugby in WA’s school system by embedding educator-led delivery.

🔹 Legacy:
The WA School Ambassador Program became a national benchmark, with Rugby Australia adopting elements of WA’s PD model and school engagement strategies for wider rollout.

Strengthened RugbyWA’s school presence as a trusted, curriculum-aligned partner — not just a sport provider.

Contributed to long-term growth in junior registrations, especially in regional and multicultural schools.

Empowered educators to become champions of the game, many of whom are still active years later.

✅ Key Achievements:
Grew the WA ambassador network to 200+ active educators

Supported rugby delivery in over 300 schools across WA

Enabled access to rugby for 60,000+ students via teacher-led delivery

Integrated ambassador support into TriTag, Get Into Rugby, and regional models

Influenced national program enhancements based on WA’s success