League hits Zambia

by 31 Oct 2010

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Children from Lusaka in Zambia were introduced to Rugby League recently by a group of students from the UK as part of the Zambia IDEALS Project run by UK Sport.

Neil Quinn (East Lancashire Community Rugby League Coach) donated a large amount of Rugby League kit for the trip including rugby balls, jerseys and medals.

One of the students involved in the project was Rianne Hunt, she said: "Being a completely new sport to most of the kids we started off by teaching them the basics about passing and the rules of the sport.

"We quickly got the children active and had them running lines passing the ball down the line. An hour and a half into the session it was truly incredible to see the progress the children had made.

"From having no knowledge of the sport to be playing an 8-a-side game with 6 touches before the possession was passed over.  The children were embracing the sport and loved every minute of it.

"I can confidently say that never before have I seen children pick up a sport so quickly which I believe comes down to their eagerness to learn and embrace a new challenge.

"The experience as a whole has been life-changing for me and with the generosity of people in the UK through monetary and kit donations, I hope to have made a lasting impact on a community in Zambia.

"I would like to thank Neil Quinn on behalf of the children in Kalingalinga for his generosity towards the programme, without which this session would not have been able to take place."