On 17th May 2025 St Albans RFC hosted a Clash of Codes match for their Toby Sweeney Memorial Cup match, raising £2,300 for the RFU Injured Players Foundation (IPF).
Toby played both rugby league and rugby union for the St Albans Centurions and St Albans RFC respectively and so one rugby match with the first half playing league and the second half playing union was conceived to honour his memory, and also to raise vital funds for charity.
In 2025 it was decided that the fixture would raise money for the IPF. The IPF is England Rugby’s official charity which supports players who have sustained a life-changing injury whilst playing rugby union in England. Life-changing injuries specifically include those which result in the loss or use of a limb, catastrophic spinal cord injuries or acute, severe traumatic brain injuries which result in permanent functional disability.
Funds were raised from kind donations from the match and bucket collections at the event.
IPF Director Karen Hood commented: “We were honoured to be the recipients of the fundraising from St Albans RFC’s Clash of the Codes event in May this year with the funds going towards the provision of vital support for our members.
"It’s great to see the growth in awareness of our small charity and that more and more clubs are choosing to fundraise for the IPF. This enables us to continue our vital work for our members and also enhance our research programmes which aim to reduce the incidence or impact of catastrophic injury within rugby union.
“In addition, we also fund a number of research projects at universities across the country to learn how the lives of people with spinal cord or acute, severe traumatic brain injuries can be improved with investigations into restoration of function, appetite management and the benefits of peer support.”