Who We Are Our History School of Hard Knocks (SOHK) was set up by Ken Cowen in 2009 and established as a not-for-profit organisation in 2012. The first SOHK course was developed in Liverpool and sought to help young men from deprived backgrounds to find and sustain employment by using the values and game of rugby as central components. Sky Sports heard about the premise and impact of this course, and shortly after picked it up as a docuseries that followed the development of SOHK participants. It was at this time that School of Hard Knocks was introduced to rugby legends Scott Quinnell and Will Greenwood, who fronted the programme for seven years. The final season of the TV programme aired in 2015 but for SOHK the work was only just beginning. SOHK’s work has developed significantly over years to adapt to society's ever-changing landscape. Rugby remains central to the courses and programmes and whilst we continue to run our eight-to-twelve-week Adult Courses – now for men, women and gender diverse people – SOHK’s work now largely focusses on our Schools Programme, a three-year intervention that seeks to improve wellbeing and behaviour of young people. Manage Cookie Preferences