A rugby volunteer from Washington has won a prestigious national award for his work revitalising his local club, bringing in more new members and a new lease of life into the side.

John Pope, 37, is Director of Rugby at Washington RFC and claimed the Game Changer prize at the Honda Volunteer of the Year awards this month.

The Honda Volunteer of the Year awards are part of the Honda Volunteer Recognition Programme which provides a platform to recognise the volunteers who make up such an integral part of the game and who have made a great contribution to their club and community – no matter what their role.

Pope became Club Secretary three years ago and has turned around the club’s fortunes after years of declining levels of participation, particularly during and after the pandemic.

He spearheaded the planning and running of ‘Touch Tuesday’ and ‘Back to Rugby/Rugby for Beginners’ sessions, as well as introducing Friday night social games and broadening the club’s appeal to new members.

Since Pope began the club’s transformation, it now consistently achieves numbers of 20 players – nearly all of them new or returning to rugby – and entered a team for its first league game in around seven years last Saturday.

Pope, who was crowned winner at an awards ceremony hosted by RFU president Rob Udwin and presented by Alex Payne said: “It’s really nice to be recognised, but it’s recognition for the whole of the Washington committee as well. There’s four of us who took the project on two years ago and it’s important to note that, I know I won the award individually, but others have been a big part of it also.

“It was a really surreal night. It was the most surreal weekend ever! The whole experience, from the stadium tour, to sitting on a table with Alex Payne and the RFU chairman – I don’t expect to be in those types of situations!”

The awards recognise the local heroes who have had a major impact in their clubs and communities and demonstrated their commitment to the game over the past 12 months. It brings the opportunity to thank those who have gone above and beyond this year for teams, clubs, referees’ societies, and educational establishments.

Over 2,000 volunteers were nominated, with nominees being recognised at local level, before winners from these events were put forward as national finalists, with 46 nominees recognised at an awards ceremony at Allianz Stadium last week.

Pope, is a clinical director of a rehab company and is looking into using non-contact sport as an alternative for people who have suffered serious injuries and are unable to play full contact.

Pope was injured in an accident two years ago and stopped playing contact rugby and explained that the Touch Tuesday sessions were inspired by the thought that other people of his age might have had similar experiences and be worried about going back to contact sport after injuries. “It’s just grown and expanded. It feels like it’s hit a gap with what was needed in the area, and other clubs have started offering non-contact since,” he said.

Now Pope is focusing on developing non-contact rugby at the club, particularly for women interested in playing rugby but nervous about the contact aspect, and getting local schools and colleges involved in rugby.

“It’s about getting on a pitch and getting people to enjoy the experience. I was really proud a couple of weeks ago, it was a bank holiday weekend, and we had an opportunity to play rugby, and I wasn’t sure who would turn up, with other commitments. And 24 people turned up to play rugby on a bank holiday weekend. I was just really proud, I felt like we’d got to where we needed to be – right now, anyway.

“I want us to see us expand into different areas of rugby, different teams. From the start we had a focus on getting the adult men’s team back together, because that’s something that was lacking. We’ve managed to get that to a level of stability now, so now we’re at a point where it’s, okay, how else can we get a rugby ball into people’s hands?”

Rob Udwin said: “It’s great to be able to be celebrating amazing volunteers through the Honda Volunteer Recognition Programme, because, like everyone who has played rugby, I know that our sport wouldn’t happen without them. What they have done for their clubs and communities over the past year has been invaluable and I hope the Honda Volunteer of the Year Awards lets them know how valued their work is.”

Rebecca Adamson, Head of UK Automobile, Honda, added: “At Honda we strive to improve people’s lives through the Power of Dreams, and that same challenging spirit can be found in abundance at rugby clubs up and down the country.

“We see many parallels between our brand values and those of the individuals that are celebrated as part of the Honda Volunteer Recognition Programme.

“We are proud to recognise the enormous efforts of the volunteers that make Rugby such a special sport to be a part of.”

Volunteers are the backbone of grassroots rugby in England. If you’d like to get involved and make a difference at your community club, visit:  www.englandrugby.com/run/club-management/volunteers