Visually Impaired Rugby: How Gilbert Is Helping
At Gilbert, we have always believed rugby belongs to everyone. It builds confidence, community and character that players carry with them long after the final whistle, and that belief should never depend on how a person sees the pitch. It is exactly the spirit at the heart of Visually Impaired Rugby England, an organisation making our game accessible to visually impaired and partially sighted players across the country, and one we are proud to support.
We sat down with the team at Visually Impaired Rugby England to hear their story in their own words.
1. Can you tell us about your organisation and its core mission?
"Visually Impaired Rugby England exists to create meaningful sporting opportunities for visually impaired and partially sighted players through competitive, inclusive rugby. Our mission is to grow the game nationally and internationally, providing a pathway from community participation through to England representation. Beyond performance rugby, we are committed to using sport as a platform for confidence, community, and visibility for people living with sight loss."
2. How did your partnership with Gilbert begin?
"Our partnership with Gilbert began from a very practical need within Visually Impaired Rugby. To make the game fully accessible for visually impaired and partially sighted players, we required a custom rugby ball fitted with ball bearings to provide an audio response, allowing players to track the ball through sound as well as touch and communication.
Given Gilbert's heritage and reputation as one of the most iconic and trusted brands in rugby, they were the natural choice to help bring that concept to life. From there, the partnership has developed through a shared passion for the game and a belief that rugby should be accessible to everyone. Their support has played an important role in helping us create high-quality training environments and continue developing our international programme."
Crafting purpose-built balls like the VI audio ball is something close to our heart, and it sits alongside the wider rugby ball range we have been perfecting for two centuries. If you have ever wondered how a club, cause or event ends up with a ball of its own, you can see how it works on our Kit Designer and Custom Balls page.
3. What shared values make this partnership a strong fit?
"The partnership is built on shared values of inclusion, excellence, innovation, and opportunity. Gilbert has a long-standing heritage within rugby, and together we are helping demonstrate that the sport can continue to evolve to reach new communities and athletes. We both believe rugby has the power to unite people and create life-changing experiences."
Those are values we look for in every cause we stand behind. You can explore more of them across our Charity and Licensed Balls collection.
4. Who does your work support, and how does it make a real difference?
"Our work supports visually impaired and partially sighted players across the UK, from individuals trying the sport for the first time through to those representing England internationally. For many players, VI Rugby offers far more than a sporting outlet. It provides confidence, community, friendship, and a renewed sense of identity through elite sport."
5. Can you share a recent success story?
"A standout moment has been the announcement of our England squad for the Japan Tour 2026, with four potential international debuts in the squad. This represents not only sporting achievement, but also the continued growth of the game and the pathway now available for players entering the sport. Support from Gilbert has been part of creating that high-performance environment."
6. Why is this cause important today?
"Inclusive sport has never been more important. Visually impaired and partially sighted people often face barriers to accessing competitive sport, and VI Rugby challenges those barriers directly. The sport changes perceptions, creates opportunity, and shows that rugby can truly be for everyone."
7. How does support from partners like Gilbert help you achieve more?
"Partnership support allows us to raise standards across training, competition, and player experience. It helps us provide specialist equipment, including our custom audio ball, build our international programme, and continue growing the sport at grassroots and representative level. It also gives the sport visibility and credibility through association with one of rugby's most respected brands."
Supporting the game at every level is at the core of what we do. You can read more about the causes and teams we work with on our Partnerships page.
8. How can people support your organisation or get involved?
"People can support us by following our journey, sharing our story, attending events, and helping us connect with new players, sponsors, and community partners. We are always keen to hear from individuals and organisations who want to support the growth of inclusive sport."
Find out more and follow along at virugby.co.uk, on Instagram @virugbyinengland, and on Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube under Visually Impaired Rugby England.
Rugby should be a game for everyone. Through Visually Impaired Rugby England, and with partners standing behind it, more players than ever are discovering exactly that.
Read next: Want to see more of the causes we are proud to support? Read Maddy's Mark: Growing the Women's Game Together, and explore more stories from the world of rugby over on the Gilbert News Hub.
