Seriously Injured Players Fund
A bold new identity keeps life-changing support for seriously injured Rugby League players front and centre.
Solutions
2026
Tackling tough challenges with a bold new identity for injured players
Client
Rugby League Cares
Sector
Sports
The Goal
Rugby League Cares is an independent charity that supports the Rugby League family on and off the field, including players who have experienced life-changing injuries. For over two decades, that work has been channelled through the Rugby League Benevolent Fund, which provides lifelong support to injured players and their families. As the charity looked ahead, it wanted a name and identity that made the fund’s purpose instantly clear to everyone, whether they followed the sport closely or were encountering it for the first time.
Through consultation with players, families and fans, the fund was renamed the Seriously Injured Players Fund, a direct, community-shaped title that leaves no doubt about who it exists for. With the new name in place, the brief was to create a bold, modern visual identity that could carry that purpose and help the fund reach more people who need its support, and more people who can help provide it.
The Challenge & Strategy
Tackling a trusted fund’s next chapter
The challenge was to evolve a trusted fund into a more visible, instantly recognisable brand without losing credibility or the seriousness of its work. The Seriously Injured Players Fund needed to show up clearly for players and families living with life-changing injuries, for clubs, fans and commercial partners, and for donors who might not know the sport but recognise the importance of its support. At the same time, the identity needed to honour the history of the Rugby League Benevolent Fund and keep the focus firmly on those whose lives have been changed by the game.
The answer was to treat the new name, emblem and wordmark as one connected system rather than separate assets. Each element had to feel unmistakably Rugby League, communicate urgency and support in equal measure, and carry a sense of togetherness that reflects the way the sport rallies around its own. That meant designing pieces that could work together or stand alone, across everything from digital channels to match day activations, without ever losing their meaning.
Our Solution
The emblem became the cornerstone of the brand. It starts with a familiar shape, a rugby ball split in half and offset to signify both the sport and the fund, brought together in a clean, modern mark. When the two halves are separated, they create an “S” for Seriously, giving the fund a simple but distinctive symbol that ties name and purpose together. This shape can be scaled, rotated and repeated to form patterns, backdrops and image frames, creating a flexible visual language that feels rooted in the game and instantly recognisable in a busy charitable landscape.
The wordmark is designed to reinforce the fund’s purpose at a glance. “Seriously” is set in uppercase, with the “I” rotated into an exclamation mark to give a subtle but clear visual cue to the urgency and importance of the fund’s work. “Injured players fund” appears below in a larger font, with “fund” highlighted to underscore the organisation’s fundraising nature and the practical support it provides. The colour palette delivers a bold, punchy look while retaining the core blue of the Rugby League Benevolent Fund as a nod to the fund’s history, signalling a new chapter that still respects its origins.
Defining Objectives
From the start, the process was grounded in the voices of the people the fund exists to serve and the community that surrounds them. Consultation with players, families and fans shaped the name and tone, ensuring the fund felt both respectful and direct. Francis and Catherine brought a clear sense of what the brand needed to communicate to beneficiaries, clubs, fans, commercial partners and the wider public, helping to anchor every decision from naming through to how the emblem and wordmark should feel.
Advantages
This collaborative approach ensured the new brand feels deeply rooted in the Rugby League community while remaining accessible to new donors who may be less familiar with the sport. Through consultation sessions, the strapline “Tackling Tough Together” emerged, capturing the shared resilience of players, families and supporters who face difficult circumstances side by side. It gives the fund a memorable, emotionally resonant line to rally around and ties directly into both the language of the sport and the lived experience of those it supports.
Be Brave
The visual system leans into bold shapes and punchy colour while still nodding to the fund’s heritage. The split rugby ball emblem and strong typography give the fund a distinctive presence that can stand alongside club and governing body brands without feeling overshadowed. The emblem can be used as a standalone mark, scaled up as a pattern or used as a framing device for photography, giving events, social content and partner communications a clear, instantly recognisable symbol tied to the game and its players.
Be Human
The identity keeps people and their stories at the centre. The emphasis on “Seriously” and “injured players fund” makes the fund’s purpose immediately clear, with the rotated exclamation mark adding a subtle visual reminder of the gravity of the situations it supports. “Tackling Tough Together” is treated typographically in a way that aligns with the emblem and wordmark, reinforcing the sense of shared effort between the fund, the players it supports and the wider Rugby League family. The overall effect is a brand that feels honest, approachable and emotionally resonant.
Be Agile
Every element has been designed to flex across channels and contexts. The emblem and typographic treatments work across digital and social platforms, print collateral, match day activations and fundraising campaigns, giving Rugby League Cares and its partners the freedom to adapt creative while staying consistent. Being able to deploy the emblem alone, as a pattern or together with the full wordmark means the identity can scale from subtle to statement pieces without losing clarity, making it easier to keep the fund front of mind wherever the game is played and followed.
Through strategy, innovation and creativity we take your brand on a journey of discovery and transformation that leave a lasting impression and drive behaviour.
The Result
A New Brand that Honours a Legacy
Rugby League Cares now has a bold, modern identity for the Seriously Injured Players Fund that is instantly recognisable and clearly communicates its purpose. The new brand honours the legacy of the Rugby League Benevolent Fund while bringing injured players and their support into sharper focus, making it easier for the fund to connect with players, families, clubs, fans, partners and donors. With a name and visual system that the community has helped to shape, the fund is better equipped to tell its story and invite others to be part of “Tackling Tough Together”.
The flexibility of the emblem, wordmark and strapline gives the organisation a strong platform for future campaigns, partnerships and awareness activity. Whether appearing on digital channels, at fundraising events or in stadium environments, the identity keeps the fund’s mission visible and memorable, turning a complex, sensitive story into something clear, respectful and powerful enough to carry across the whole Rugby League family.
