Exeter Chiefs celebrate inspirational win at Premier Rugby HITZ Awards 2024
Last night, an exceptional young man from Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club took to the stage to collect a Premiership Rugby HITZ Award 2024 at a poignant ceremony held at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham. 18 year old HITZ participant Ronin, from Broadclyst, Exeter, won theHITZ Young Achiever Award 2024 at the emotional celebration attended by young learners, mentors and supportive businesses involved in the award-winning Premiership Rugby HITZ education and employment programme.
The inspirational achievements of 12 outstanding shortlisted individuals from across the country were recognised during the evening. A highlight of the Premiership Rugby calendar, the moving ceremony featured films capturing the journeys of all those shortlisted, showcasing their bravery, commitment and passion for using the HITZ programme to carve out brighter futures, often against all odds. Hosted by Topsy Ojo, and attended by Premiership players former Newcastle Falcons hooker Rob Vickers, Harlequins backrow Jack Kenningham and centre Lennox Anyanwu along with Saracens scrum half Ivan van Zyl, the night was one of pride and celebration of how much rugby can change lives.
Laylla Stanley, Strategic Lead – Social Impact and D&I at Premiership Rugby said: “Congratulations to Ronin on his well-deserved award win. The impact of HITZ over the past 16 years speaks for itself: 83% of participants move into education, employment, or training immediately after completing the programme. Ronin’s story really showcases how HITZ equips young people with the tools to navigate life’s challenges, extending far beyond the classroom or rugby pitch - it’s truly a life-changing programme. We’re delighted for Exeter Chiefs on their award win; Ronin and the team should be incredibly proud.”
The HITZ Young Achiever Award recognises and rewards a young person who, by overcoming a range of challenges, has worked the hardest to progress on their journey back to education, training, or employment. Ronin's journey is one of resilience and personal growth, overcoming significant physical and developmental challenges through support and perseverance. Born with a rare genetic syndrome affecting his limbs and eyes, alongside autism, sensory processing disorder, and hypermobility, Ronin faced scepticism from doctors and educators about reaching key milestones. Ronin has surpassed all expectations thanks to the HITZ team at Chiefs who recognised his potential.
Ronin excels in academic and physical activities at HITZ. With encouragement from the team and his family, he tackles challenging goals in Maths and English and smashes his daily targets. Activities like delivering food to the elderly have bolstered his independence and social skills. Ronin’s father’s decision to move him to HITZ proved transformative, allowing him to build confidence, explore different roles, and pursue ambitions such as becoming a stand-up comedian.
Ronin said on winning the award, "It feels great to win, I wasn't really expecting it after seeing the other people who were shortlisted. I’d like to say thank you to everyone that's helped me, thanks to everyone at Exeter Chiefs. It's really a family where everyone helps each other."
Angelique Aldworth, HITZ Manager from Exeter Chiefs who was amongst guests celebrating at the Allianz Stadium said; “We’re thrilled that Ronin has won the HITZ Young Achiever Award. To all of us at the Chiefs, he was already a winner but seeing his achievements celebrated by the entire rugby community at the awards is truly special. His award is testament to Ronin’s relentless determination and outstanding attitude. We couldn’t be prouder of him. It’s inspiring to see how HITZ has impacted his life and made a lasting difference in our wider Exeter community.”
Ronin’s HITZ Award win will be further recognised by Exeter Chiefs during Round 7 of Gallagher Premiership Rugby (29th Nov - 1st Dec) which is Community Weekend. Over the weekend, all games will be dedicated to Premiership Rugby’s award-winning community programmes, including HITZ and Project Rugby, and the tireless work of the community teams to change lives through rugby.
The Community Weekend aims to showcase the many, wide ranging benefits of being part of the rugby community – from improving physical fitness, health and mental wellbeing to social connectedness, developing relationships with other, building confidence or a sense of purpose, belonging and giving something back to others. By being one community, we are stronger.
