Friday Night Lights: Six Years On, Celebrating Matt Ratana's Legacy

Six years after the death of Matt Ratana, two schools came together under the floodlights at a club where he had coached - bringing more than 500 - 200 young people and hundreds of supporters - together through the game he loved.

There was something particularly fitting about the way Matt's sixth anniversary was marked this year. At East Grinstead Rugby Club, where Matt had coached and built connections within the local rugby community, Sackville and Imberhorne came together for a special evening of school rugby.

Four fixtures. More than 200 young people on the pitch. Hundreds of people around it. The club filled with exactly the kind of community Matt spent his life creating.

A community brought together through rugby

Sergeant Matt Ratana was much more than a rugby coach. He was a huge pillar of the communities around him - someone who understood that rugby could be a way of bringing people together, giving young people confidence and creating places where they felt they belonged. That belief sits at the heart of the Matt Ratana Rugby Foundation and our work through TackleLondon today.

So, six years on, seeing young people from Sackville and Imberhorne come together on a rugby pitch in Matt's name felt particularly powerful. Around them were families, teachers, friends, former pupils and supporters, all contributing to an atmosphere of camaraderie, frienship and community.

The rugby did what Matt always knew it could do: bring people together.

Four games, plenty of fight

Once the whistle went, the focus was firmly on the rugby. Year 7, Year 8 and Year 9 all finished in draws, with very little separating the teams across the evening.

There were plenty of moments to remember. Wilbur's late comeback in the U13s had the sideline on its toes. Trymore made an impressive school debut. And the U16s showed real determination to fight their way back after going 20–5 down. But the results weren't the most important thing happening under the floodlights.

The Legacy Building

Since the evening, more than 10 young people who weren't previously members of the club have joined, across different age groups. That's a remarkable outcome from one evening of school rugby.

A young person comes along to represent their school. They experience the atmosphere of a club. They see other young people playing. Their family gets involved. And something that might have started as just a fixture becomes the beginning of a relationship with rugby.

That is how communities grow and it's why evenings like this matter so much to the work of The Matt Ratana Rugby Foundation.

Through TackleLondon, we work with schools to use rugby as a way to create connection, opportunity and positive experiences for young people. But the impact doesn't have to stop at the school gates. When young people find places beyond school where they can belong, participate and build relationships, those connections can last well beyond a single session or fixture.

Six years on

Six years after Matt's death, his name continues to bring people together. Not simply through memorials or moments of remembrance, but through genuine community connection, using rugby as that catalyst for change.

This evening truly felt like one of the most meaningful ways to honour him.

Matt believed in the power of rugby to change lives and bring communities together.

Six years on, those floodlights were shining on a new generation - and the community he helped build is still growing.