Today co-founder and chair of the Sports Think Tank Andy Reed OBE gives his thoughts on the Rugby World Cup Legacy, which kicks off at Twickenham this evening.

It may seem a little strange writing about the legacy from a tournament that hasn't even started yet, but for those of us who have been involved in issues surrounding the Olympic legacy we know it is never too soon to be planning and delivering these things.

We will do a proper analysis of the legacy some time after the tournament but, as the Rugby Football Union (RFU) announced this week, they have already hit one of their targets to get 400 new state schools playing rugby as part of the All Schools Programme. This highlights how the RFU have been all too aware of the failure of other tournaments to create the Holy Grail of sustained legacy.

It does appear that the RFU have learned some of the lessons outlined here at The Sports Think Tank about the 2012 Olympics and why it has been too easy to label that legacy a failure.

The responsibility and accountability for delivering a legacy has been placed with the RFU and their lead on this, Steve Grainger. One of the difficulties in 2012 was the fact that each agency involved knew they had specific roles and targets and realistically nobody 'owned' the legacy strand. Both The London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG) and The Olympic Delivery Authority (ODA) were clear it wasn't their responsibility and made sure everybody knew. This time the RFU have stepped forward and taken responsibility amidst the complex relationships between World Rugby (formerly the International Rugby Board or IRB), ER2015, Sport England and the Government. As you can see from their 'One Year to Go' document they have been keen to share and promote their plans.

Second, as the document and reports show there have been clear plans set out and targets announced in advance of the build-up and delivery of the tournament, as well as an independent oversight group chaired by Tanni-Grey Thompson put in place. This is vital. One of the biggest problems from 2012 was the ability for almost anybody to define their own 'legacy wish list' and then, when the Games were over, for anybody to claim legacy 'failure'. This time there are specific streams and specific measurements so that the RFU will be able to claim a proper legacy. Below the oversight group and the RFU sit 6 area groups responsible for linking up local activity in the lead-up and delivery. The groups are made up of representatives from the Constituent Bodies (CBs) alongside independent members and an independent Chair.

Given that it is commonly accepted that the RFU didn't capitalise on the potential of the 2003 win in Australia and clubs were not ready for the surge in interest in the game, the plans reflect this.

The legacy strands have been about building capacity and increasing participation – again a Holy Grail for National Governing Bodies (NGBs) since the increased focus has been on them to grow through the Sport England 'Whole Sport' plans. The RFU want to invest in facilities, invest in people and roll out their 'More Schools' campaign. Meanwhile, to increase participation there is a focus on returning players, touch rugby, learning from other nations and cultural engagement.

All these plans were set out as long ago as 2012 so that nobody in the game should be left in any doubt as to where the focus was going to lie. The 'All Schools' programme was not specifically established as a legacy project and initially found little traction in the game. It emerged from the RFU Foundation and I recall being at the first scoping meeting when it was still called 'All Schools' as a working title only. For those at the start of the journey, including many round that table it is great to see how big and important this has become for the game. Given the publicity about rugby being too posh , it is vital that every child gets an opportunity to play and enjoy the game – and make a choice about future participation based on experience. The fact that the RFU met its target of 400 schools ahead of the Rugby World Cup is proof of their commitment. Of course it is not a perfect programme, or a panacea for the reduction of schools playing competitive sport, but it is a start. Having been coached and played in a state school I never understood the bias of private schools, until I got involved more deeply in a game where, in some parts of the country, it can indeed be seen as 'posh'.

So far, so good? We have plans, committees, oversight, budgets and a strategy, so a legacy will be delivered won't it? Of course it is way too early to make any decisive comments about legacy and I have no doubt that the targets and numbers set out in the lead-up and legacy plans will be met. But from my anecdotal experience of working in our own area as an independent (but rugby mad) member I have been concerned for some time that all the lessons we are learning from NGBs in general trying to grow their sports are being played out here in the legacy work. The plans and materials produced by the professional teams are impressive. The ideas, plans and materials are based on insight and excellent enthusiastic staff. The clubs and coaches at grassroots are as keen and enthusiastic as ever and many are making great plans and putting in an enormous amount of effort just to keep their clubs running. However, as in any volunteer-delivered activity or sport, new initiatives aren't always welcome. Everybody wants these plans to succeed, but I am not sure these details have filtered down and are being breathed daily by many clubs. There are examples of available funding not being taken up and, in many areas, low interest in new initiatives.

For me, the governance structure of the RFU has still not moved into the 20^th Century. It has had its reviews and recommendations over recent years, but of course the turkeys have not voted for Christmas yet and we still have a structure not fit for the 21^st century. This is something that has to be addressed, but not by this short blog – we will return to the governance issue again I am sure.

My other concern arises from the experience we have had trying to deliver an innovation fund for legacy in one of the area groups. Volunteer-run clubs are full of dedicated individuals who do an amazing job at maintaining and delivering their clubs for players. I have been a beneficiary of the work of hundreds of volunteers over the years all of whom have made my 35-year rugby career possible. I have been a volunteer too. But busy volunteers are not always best placed to be the ones innovating and creating new ways of delivering the game in new environments and to new audiences. Quite rightly they don't see it as their job to do things differently – they joined and they participate to keep things the way they like them. Thus the projects that have been submitted are very rarely innovative or sustainable. A tag, 7s or touch tournament with BBQ & beer are the fabric of our game, but they are not innovative or likely to reach out to new members and the groups of people we need to attract to the game. As we know, 'informal' sports are gaining at the expense of inflexible, time-rich team sports; so rugby, like others has to adapt and change, yet there is little short-term desire locally to change the sport people quite rightly love. So we will need innovators and disruptors in the game to bring us the rugby versions of 20/20 or walking football. For people like me touch rugby has been a great addition and gives me another 10 years of playing comfortably. We need more of this and not for administrators to turn their noses up at new forms of the game.

But if the legacy is really going to transform the game and create a mass-participation sport then many things will need to change and concept of 'rugby' will need to be flexible. It won't be owned necessarily by the RFU, constituent bodies or even clubs. I have witnessed a tendency to expect everything rugby-related to feel owned by the constituent bodies and permission sought to do anything new or innovative. NGBs and sports bodies will need to embrace voluntary groups, businesses and foundations who want to use forms of the game to keep people physically active. For me the more people that pick up a ball and run around with it in whatever shape or form, the happier I will be. But our grass-roots clubs will need to be less afraid of competition and embrace the changes. It is their only way to long-term survival.

The next 6 weeks will give the game of rugby an amazing chance to show itself to a new audience, if England do well and the nation gets behind them. There will be renewed interest from old players and new people attracted by the new generation of England stars. Their first experience, from being excited, to interested, to trying to get involved has to be seamless… the iPhone search after the England win against Wales has to be creative and the response friendly and welcoming. At its best the game is ready and I have seen plenty of great evidence, but it isn't consistent and all too often volunteer-run clubs are struggling to keep up. My hope is that the innovators and others wanting to get involved in delivering rugby in all its shapes and forms are welcomed equally.

Andy Reed OBE is a player (& Past president) at Birstall RFC, Parliamentary Lions, Area4 Legacy Group, RFU Sport England Fellow and ambassador for the Leicester Tigers Foundation. He was an independent panel member of the Blacket Review into Governance in 2011.