Undoubtedly the highlight of the visit to Bermuda of English Premiership leaders Saracens will be the match against a Bermuda International Select on May 31 at the National Stadium.But the tour by one of world rugby’s premier teams will be just as much about the charity work and public school visits they will conduct during their week on the Island as the elite of British and European rugby share their skills with the island's youngsters and the local community. The hope of the charity fund-raising visit is to raise up to $50,000 for the Beyond Rugby charity and the Bermuda Rugby youth section.Beyond Rugby Bermuda is a partnership between the Family Centre and the BRFU working with “at risk” school children who may otherwise get lost in society. The charity does exactly as it says and goes “beyond rugby” to provide these children with valuable social and life skills and to provide them with options. The Charity’s co-founding sponsors, Validus Re and Aspen Re, are firmly behind this latest initiative and James Few, CEO of Aspen Re, stated: “We are delighted to be part of this exciting project and to continue our ongoing support of this excellent local charity”.The players are planning to visit a number of local public schools to provide an introduction to rugby and to speak to Bermuda’s schoolchildren about how sport in general instils leadership, team work, courage, sportsmanship and respect.Thirty members of the Saracens first team squad will arrive in Bermuda on May 27 for a week of school visits, coaching workshops and fund raising activities. The Saracens squad includes a number of the games highest profile players, including many internationals from South Africa, the USA, England, Wales and Scotland. Several of the team have captained their respective countries and there are numerous players who have been involved in rugby World Cups and British Lions tours.Saracens players expected to visit Bermuda include club captain Steve Borthwick, England fly half and winger Owen Farrell and Chris Ashton and South Africa’s World Cup winning captain John Smit.Gareth Nokes who, alongside David Tucker, has been instrumental in putting this initiative together, stated: "Rugby is a game steeped in tradition, its players and supporters enjoy a deep sense of community and involvement. These values and traditions develop from the first time a young player shakes hands with their opposite number, leading to a lifelong passion for involvement with the game at all levels on and off the field.“Bringing the Saracens players, many of whom have played at the highest level of the sport for many years, is not only exciting for Bermuda but it is hoped the workshops and seminars will inspire our youth to embrace the core values rugby offers. We must thank the generosity of the local and international businesses who have committed funding to make this pipe dream a reality — without their generosity, this initiative would not be possible."Patrick Calow, the BRFU Youth Development officer and coordinator of the Beyond Rugby programme expressed his delight at the Saracens visit. “We are absolutely thrilled by the prospect of having Saracens participate in the Beyond Rugby programme,” said Calow. “Bermuda’s ability to attract a team of the calibre of Saracens will be of huge motivation to the kids in our programme and those in schools who may be experiencing rugby for the first time.”Saracens currently lead the English Premiership by five points over Leicester and are in the quarter finals of the European Heineken cup knockout competition. They won the Premiership in 2011 and were losing semi-finalists last season. Founded in 1876, they have recently moved back to London following the completion of the newly built and renovated Allianz Park Stadium.Edward Griffiths, CEO of Saracens, is delighted to be involved in the project. “Saracens are a club focused on core values of discipline, honesty, work ethic and humility,” Griffiths noted.“Being part of this initiative, and all that it stands for, is very much aligned with Saracens and we are excited to be part of it. The squad is looking forward to exploring the beautiful island of Bermuda and working alongside the local and business communities to hopefully inspire a new generation of future rugby stars.”The Saracens fund-raising events in Bermuda include a charity golf event at Tuckers Point Golf Club on Thursday, May 30 where each team will be joined by a member of the Saracens squad in a fivesomes competition. There are also plans to hold a corporate beach tag-rugby seven-a-side tournament the day before which is aimed at raising funds for the Beyond Rugby charity programme and the BRFU Youth section.The playing squad will be accompanied by five of the Saracens coaching squad. These coaches have agreed to hold a seminar aimed at all sports coaches across the island, regardless of the sport, which will be used to explore areas such as sports psychology, identifying and enhancing talent and explaining how to improve team performance.David Tucker, who is helping to make the tour possible, stated: “We are hopeful Bermuda will get fully behind this exciting community initiative. These coaches are some of the best in the world and this is an excellent opportunity for Bermuda to learn from their experiences and tap into some of their considerable knowledge.”The visit of Saracens will culminate in a match versus a Bermuda International Select XV at 6.30 that will include local league players as well as a number of current Canadian and US internationals and possibly a few other Premiership stars.n Any companies interested in being part of the visit by Saracens who would like further information or would like to enter a team into the golf day and/or the beach tag rugby tournament should contact Gareth Nokes at SaracensinBDA@yahoo.comTo find out more about the Beyond Rugby programme and how a child can get involved, e-mail Patrick Calow, the BRFU’s Youth Development Office at pcalow@brfu.bm, or visit the website at www.beyondrugbybermuda.com