Member Article

Sale Sharks and MBNA launch money management classes for children

International rugby stars to help deliver ‘Number Cruncherz’ programme to thousands of young people

Chester, UK: Premiership Rugby side Sale Sharks and credit card lender MBNA and have teamed up to launch a brand-new project using the power of rugby to teach money management skills to 11 and 12 year olds in England and Wales.

The ‘Number Cruncherz’ programme has been developed for Year 7 children with the help of the UK’s leading financial education charity pfeg (Personal Finance Education Group) and is aimed at helping thousands of young people across the North West of England and North Wales develop key financial literacy skills.

Some of the stars of English rugby, including former England internationals Mark Cueto and Hendre Fourie and Sale and former New Zealand Under 21 star Michael Paterson, are backing the three-year scheme and attended a launch event at Sale Sharks’ AJ Bell Stadium, where a group of 50 children from Stretford Grammar School became the first Number Cruncherz graduates.

A video of the session is available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Xmab9lYOno&feature=youtu.be

Ian O’Doherty, Chief Executive of MBNA, said: “We have worked closely with pfeg and Sale Sharks to develop Number Cruncherz in order to make it easier for schools and teachers to help young people develop their numeracy and financial literacy skills.

“By taking lessons outside of the school environment with the help of some of the biggest names in English rugby, we’re aiming to help thousands of children better manage their money in the future and provide them with a good foundation for financial literacy in adulthood.”

As many as 15,000 children will get to experience Number Cruncherz over the next three-years and each school that participates will spend a day at Sale Sharks’ AJ Bell Stadium in Salford. The structure of the sessions, developed jointly by Sale Sharks, MBNA and pfeg, has been broken down into four key themes: Income and Expenditure; Balancing Needs and Wants; Budgeting; and Making Sensible Financial Decisions; and will be primarily delivered by the Sharks Community Trust, the charity arm of Sale Sharks.

More information on the programme is available at http://www.mbna.co.uk/about-us/what-we-care-about/financial-education/

From September, financial education will form a critical part of the compulsory national curriculum in England for 11-16 year olds. “Number Cruncherz has been created with Year 7 pupils in mind, as this is the time when many children are given a higher degree of responsibility and can benefit from learning about responsible money management,” added Steve Diamond, Director of Rugby at Sale Sharks who joined the children for the launch of the scheme. “Using the power and reach of rugby, we can really make a difference, as well as giving these children an experience that will last them a lifetime.”

The UK’s leading financial education charity pfeg provided expert guidance on the content of the Number Cruncherz programme to ensure it addressed the critical skills the charity believes young people need to develop. Tracey Bleakley, pfeg chief executive, said: “We were delighted to support Sale Sharks and MBNA in developing this programme, which will benefit thousands of young people in the North West and North Wales. It has never been more important for young people to gain the skills, knowledge and confidence they need to manage their money well – and sport is a powerful medium we can use to give them the financial education they need.”

Former Sale Sharks and England player, Hendre Fourie, is one of four coaches at Sale Sharks who will deliver the programme. He said: “Having recently retired from playing rugby, I was keen to take on a new challenge, so I feel very fortunate to be involved from the outset in delivering such an exciting programme that will benefit so many young children.”

ENDS

About MBNA Limited

MBNA Limited is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bank of America Corporation. Based in Chester, MBNA supports a range of community projects. MBNA is also the principal partner of Chester FC and Premiership Rugby side Sale Sharks.

For more information, visit the company’s website at www.mbna.co.uk or contact Gary Jenkins on 01244 574136 or email gary.jenkins@mbna.com.

About Sale Sharks

Sale Sharks are the only Premiership Rugby Union team in the North West of England. Sharks were crowned Champions in 2006 when they beat Leicester Tigers 45-24 at Twickenham in front of 60,000 fans. World Class players like Jason Robinson, Sebastien Chabal and Luke McAlister have represented the club in the last ten years and the leading Premiership Try Scorer Mark Cueto (84) has just signed an extended contract with the club. Club contact is Media Manager Dave Swanton who can be contacted on dave.swanton@salesharks.com or 07702 906250.

About pfeg

pfeg (Personal Finance Education Group) is the UK’s leading financial education charity. pfeg provides free support, resources and expert consultancy to help schools plan and teach financial capability. Its mission is to ensure that all young people leaving school are equipped with the confidence, skills and knowledge they need in financial matters to take part fully in society.

pfeg works with teachers, government, consumer bodies and financial industry representatives to assist schools in delivering personal finance education to the highest possible standards – making sure that children and young people are able to understand money and make informed choices which will guarantee them security and economic well-being in the long-term. For more information see www.pfeg.org or contact Matt Hartley on 020 7330 9478 or 07730 141519 or email matt.hartley@pfeg.org.

About Sharks Community Trust

The Sharks Community Trust was set up in December 2010 to deliver the charitable aims of Sale Sharks Rugby Club. The Trust aims to positively engage with young people through sport to the benefit of their lives.The Trust has delivered programmes in partnership with MBNA, Comic Relief, AVIVA, Wooden Spoon, Land Rover and the BT Supporters Club. For more information contact Jonny Acheson on 0161 667 7518 or email jonny.acheson@salesharks.com.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Elle Brunton .