Ambassador Festivals return for tenth year

Hundreds of junior players from Leeds Rhinos Foundation’s Ambassador Clubs will come together to enjoy a day of rugby league when the charity hosts the 2019 Ambassador Festivals in August.

Now in its tenth year, the Ambassador Festivals are one of the highlights of the rugby league calendar for community clubs across Leeds and beyond, with last year’s festivals enjoyed by more than 600 players from 22 community clubs, who are members of Leeds Rhinos’ Club Ambassadors Scheme.

On Sunday 4th August, Under-11s and Under-12s Boys teams, along with Under-12s and Under-14s Girls sides, are invited to take part in the Naturally Best Club Ambassadors Festival at Hunslet Warriors ARLFC.

This will be followed by the Dick Gibson Ambassador Festival, sponsored by Charlie Bretts’, on Sunday 18th August at Leeds Rugby Academy in Kirkstall, for teams in the Under-7s to Under-10s age groups.

The festivals will once again be supported by Leeds Rhinos first team players, many of whom represented community clubs in the city before going on to play for the Rhinos and will be on hand to present certificates to the players.

Speaking at last year’s event, Rhinos’ star Jamie Jones-Buchanan said: “Festivals like this are really important for development. I played in lots of tournaments when I was a kid and now as an older senior professional I go around engaging with community clubs to try and encourage the next generation to do the best they can.

“These events provide a fantastic opportunity for hundreds of junior players across the city to learn and develop, so it’s brilliant that Leeds Rhinos Foundation can do this every year.”

Sam Horner, Community Club Development Officer for Leeds Rhinos Foundation added: “We look forward to the two Ambassador Festivals this year in the knowledge we now have established an annual girls event too. The festivals are a great example of what our Club Ambassador Scheme is all about – teams working together for the benefit of the game.

“It’s important for us to provide junior players with the opportunity to compete at events like this and support their development. Most importantly, it’s also a showcase of the talent we have in the community game and a great advert for how the sport is thriving in our city.

“We would like to thank Charlie Brett’s and Naturally Best for sponsoring the events again and feeding the children, along with the Dick Gibson family for their continued support with the festivals.”

Both festivals will run from 10am to 4pm and are free for all spectators to attend. There will be also be a raffle on the day, with rugby merchandise, food and drink all available to purchase from on-site retailers.

The deadline to sign up for the 2019 Ambassador Festivals is Monday 17th June, 12pm.

To book your team’s place, or for more information about the Festivals, please contact sam.horner@leedsrhinosfoundation.org.

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