Remembering Matt Salter, Director of Rugby at Clifton College

The heartbreaking loss of one of our much loved colleagues, Matt Salter, has been felt by the Clifton College community and beyond.

Matt Salter was part of our community since joining as Director of Rugby in September 2015. Matt’s impact on pupils at Clifton College is incomparable. They knew Mr Salter as a rugby coach, an Assistant Housemaster, but also as someone who always found the right words to motivate and encourage. His impact was wider than sport, and he was the epitome of the Clifton community.

Through his leadership of Clifton rugby, he brought professional playing experience, a passion for the sport at all levels, and advocacy for all young people. His sector-leading rugby programme made Clifton College a top ten performing school, becoming Daily Mail Cup Champions in 2024.

His commitment to sport in schools stretched beyond Clifton College; he worked tirelessly to ensure that every young person was given the opportunity to play rugby at the right level of challenge, resulting in a remarkable fixture list for the school’s teams. He was a champion for the development of girls’ rugby, developing popular tournaments and creating initiatives to inspire, including establishing Clifton College as a base for the recent Women’s Rugby World Cup, and attracting the England and Wales men’s teams to train on our pitches.

He was a kind and supportive colleague to so many at Clifton College, on and off the pitch. He worked incredibly closely with many colleagues, and his notable partnership with Danny Grewcock over recent years has been the driving force behind the enviable partnership between Clifton College and Bristol Bears. He took pride in watching pupils progress to the highest levels of sport, with a recent highlight being watching the academy side of his former team, Bristol Bears, win the U18 PREM Next Gen final with many Cliftonians contributing to the squad.

Matt’s mentorship and guidance continued off the playing field as a beloved member of the College’s pastoral team. He was appointed as Assistant Housemaster of North Town, one of our day boys’ Houses, where he was an incredible source of support for all of the pupils who were lucky enough to have his influence in their lives. All of this led to strong relationships that lasted well beyond their time at the College, and his loss will be felt sorely by the Old Cliftonian and parent community.

His guidance, encouragement, unrivalled creativity and imagination demonstrated his dedication to providing transformative experiences for young people. This was evident in his passion for pupils gaining experience and development through travel, including the nationally recognised Year 9 enrichment journey to the Alps, of which he was a key contributor.

Matt’s legacy will be through the pupils who were lucky enough to know him: those who remember his words of encouragement and expert coaching as they step onto the rugby pitch; those who remember the time he took to listen to them; those who will carry his words of guidance into everything they do.

Everyone at Clifton College, past and present, will forever be grateful for the impact Matt made. Our thoughts remain with his family during this unimaginably sad time.