England rugby captain Maro Itoje recently welcomed a dozen students from The King's Foundation Diploma Year to StoneX Stadium for a unique creative exercise.
The young artists were given the opportunity to produce live sketches during a Saracens Rugby training session.
Throughout the session, students observed the rugby players in action, translating their athletic movements onto paper in real time.
The event represented a distinctive mix of two disciplines close to Itoje's heart: sport and art.
Following the training session, the aspiring artists had the chance to present their completed works to the players themselves.
Itoje, who serves as an Ambassador for the Foundation, was joined by fellow Saracens squad members Hugh Tizard, Nick Isiekwe and Theo Dan in viewing the students' artistic interpretations.
The sketches captured the dynamism and physicality of professional rugby training through each student's individual perspective.
This was not the first such experience for participants in the Diploma Year programme, who have previously undertaken comparable drawing sessions at the English National Ballet nearby.
The opportunity allowed the young creatives to develop their observational skills while engaging with elite athletes in their training environment.
The King's Foundation Diploma Year is a Fine Art foundation course situated near Tower Hamlets, designed to cultivate creativity, innovation and technical ability in preparation for higher education and careers within the creative sector.
The programme demonstrates a strong commitment to accessibility, providing up to half of its students with either full scholarships or reduced fees annually.
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Additionally, a partnership with The Stephen Lawrence Day Foundation enables two complete scholarships specifically aimed at supporting underrepresented young people pursuing university education.
Itoje took on his ambassadorial role with The King's Foundation in 2025, having collaborated with the organisation since 2024 as co-founder of the Akoje Residency, a non-profit initiative.
Reflecting on the experience, he said: "It was a fantastic experience to host The King's Foundation Diploma Year students at the Saracens training session - bringing together my two passions of sport and art.
"The students have produced some beautiful pieces and it was wonderful to see their unique takes on the movement and action of a training session."
A summer exhibition showcasing the Diploma Year students' work is currently on display at the Garrison Chapel in Chelsea Barracks, running until Saturday, June 13.
Jennifer Garland, Senior Education Manager at The King's Foundation, described the visit as "a fantastic opportunity" and thanked Itoje "for hosting them, and sharing his love of art with them."
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