Henry Simpson-Lucas and Matthew Short were two of the 14 volunteers who were selected to represent the 1,500 volunteers who played an invaluable role in the success of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

Simpson-Lucas volunteered as part of the Match Management whilst Short volunteered as part of the Venue Management at the York Community Stadium which played host to 6 pool matches during the tournament.

On why he volunteered at the York matches, Henry Simpson-Lucas said: “I do a lot of work with my local rugby club in terms of the day-to-day management and running of it. I was involved with the local council, bringing the World Cup to York, and planning meetings. I thought if I can do it on a small scale, why not give it a go on a bigger scale.”

On his reasons for volunteering Matthew Short added: “being able to volunteer and give something back to volunteering has been incredible. It’s one of those things that people don’t necessarily see, but there are 1,500 volunteers, and we are one team, one family. You are putting on an experience for everyone.”

Allwyn, the operator of The National Lottery, invited 14 volunteers to the record breaking final at Twickenham as they represented all of the volunteers who had worked across all 8 venues during the 5 weeks and 32 matches of the Women’s Rugby World Cup.

The volunteers were selected for this unique award after they were nominated by their peers for going above and beyond in their roles and leaving a positive legacy in their community.

On the celebration of the volunteers at Twickenham Andria Vidler, Chief Executive Officer of National Lottery operator, Allwyn, said: “we were delighted to have been able to bring volunteer representatives to the World Cup Final and give them the recognition and thanks they deserve on Twickenham’s iconic pitch. Together, we not only delivered a tournament, we delivered long-lasting impact in York."

Allwyn and World Rugby organised that between the bronze and gold medal matches the volunteers were to be given mementoes before they were presented to the record-breaking crowd of over 82,000 just before the final between England and Canada.

However, the World Cup was record-breaking in more ways than just the highest attendance as the volunteering programme broke ground with women filling two-thirds of the roles whilst over 23% of the volunteers were under the age of 30.

On the ground-breaking volunteer programme, Vidler said: “a key area of focus for us is supporting innovation and learning. That is why we were delighted that Allwyn’s Social Value Fund supported World Rugby in delivering a groundbreaking volunteer programme involving over 1,500 passionate individuals, many young people, first-time volunteers, and an impressively high proportion of women.”

“These numbers redefined what it means to be a rugby volunteer and signal the power of the sport to engage and inspire a next generation of changemakers.”

Both Simpson-Lucas and Short are avid supporters of volunteering and whether it is at your local sporting club or within your community they both believe that it will have a positive impact on what you can learn and bring to the community.

On volunteering and what it means to him, Short said: “seize any opportunity that you can get to volunteer. You will learn from your peers and those around you, and they will learn from you. It might feel like something that is a little daunting when you first do it, but I promise you’ll enjoy it.”

Whilst, Simpson-Lucas added on volunteering in sport: “One hundred percent you should volunteer. If you are involved with your local rugby club or sports team, give it a go. A tournament like this is the same, but on a bigger scale and better. If you’re not involved with your local sports club, do it; it will make you want to get more involved in your local community.”