Samuel Thompson Recognised as National Young Leader of the Year
Samuel Thompson’s journey with the Oxford University Touch Rugby Club (OUTRC) began when his older brother, Zach Thompson, discovered the club on Instagram. At his first taster session at University Parks in October 2022, Samuel joined fewer than a dozen players in what was then known as ‘OURFC Touch’, a subcommittee of the Rugby Football Club. He could scarcely have foreseen the club’s meteoric rise: attaining official club status in 2023, earning Half Blue status and Club of the Year honours in 2024, setting performance records in 2025, and being shortlisted for University of the Year by the National Governing Body in 2026. In an interview with England Touch, Samuel attributed this transformation to a dedicated ‘core group’, but the story is equally one of his own quiet and great leadership as coach, captain and player.
New College proudly congratulates Samuel Thompson, who has been named England Touch’s Young Leader of the Year in recognition of the way he embodies the sport’s core values of inclusivity, transparency, unity, ambition and respect.
‘It’s the Dancing Guy theory of leadership,’ said Aryemis Brown, the club’s founding president, referring to the principle of the first follower. ‘Samuel saw the vision and dared to reach for it.’ Drawing upon elite coaching experience gained through the TrySports Centre of Excellence, Samuel inspired teammates at Iffley Road and helped foster a culture in which everyone could thrive.
Dom Tripp, captain of the England Men’s Open team, remarked upon Samuel’s rare ability to motivate even self-described ‘sport refusers’. Samuel also organised the largest Touch Rugby Cuppers competition in the club’s history, contributing to a 300 per cent increase in membership. Under his leadership, the club captured its first Plate trophy in 2026 and, through a partnership with Saïd Business School, secured an inaugural Gold medal at the Paris MBATs.
Samuel will also be honoured for Outstanding Contribution to Sport at the 2026 University of Oxford Sports Awards. His nomination highlighted his overhaul of the training timetable, his application of medical expertise to support members’ wellbeing, and his pioneering efforts in alumni engagement. In particular, he ‘established the club’s first structured alumni engagement programme, including the appointment of alumni officers’. Previously, Samuel was recognised as Student Coach of the Year and became the club’s inaugural recipient of a Vincent Award this year.
Ultimately, it was Samuel’s philosophy of sport that left the deepest impression:
‘I want everyone in this club to smile when they find a mountain in their way … to climb because they can, and to relish the challenge.’
His message resonated deeply. As vice-captain Talha Saddiq reflected: ‘Few coaches can convince you to move mountains, and Sam is no doubt one of them. It is a privilege to be led by someone who not only reminds you, but reminds himself, why he loves what he does. Beyond drills and words, it is Sam’s passion that drives us all forward with him.’