As the countdown to the Rugby League World Cup’s big kick off reaches its final week, Leeds Rhinos Foundation will be adding to the growing sense of anticipation by delivering their very own InspiredBy World Cup Week as part of the sport’s biggest ever recruitment drive.
Following the success of the recent ‘Three Lions Week’ initiative which helped community clubs get World Cup ready and built support for the three England teams competing in the main tournament, Leeds Rhinos Foundation will be heading out into the local community in the seven days leading up to next Saturday’s opening match to deliver an extensive programme of InspiredBy activities to drive up participation across all variants of the game and encourage many others to discover what it’s all about.
From ‘come and try’ tag rugby festivals to World Cup-themed primary school lessons, the aim of the Foundation’s InspiredBy Week is to utilise the excitement around the most inclusive Rugby League World Cup to increase interest and get record numbers involved in the sport by showing that everyone, anywhere can give it a try!
The first scheduled event on the InspiredBy Week takes place this Saturday ahead of the exciting battle between Leeds Rhinos and New Zealand in the Bartercard International Challenge, with the Foundation hosting a bumper Under 7s Junior Rugby League Festival at Leeds Beckett University with 10 of their Ambassador community clubs.
Over 150 of the game’s youngest players will then head down to Headingley Stadium with their coaches and families to be part of something special, taking part in a pre-match parade around the iconic ground and grabbing a photo on the pitch with some of their heroes from the Leeds Rhinos and New Zealand teams. This will provide a truly unforgettable experience for these youngsters at the start of their rugby league careers, hopefully inspiring them to keep playing the sport for many years to come.
Head of Community and Engagement, Gareth Cook said: “We are absolutely delighted to be running our InspiredBy week to promote the Rugby League World Cup and people of all ages and abilities the chance to get involved in rugby league.”
“We have a plethora of activity taking place over the week and what better way to kick the week off with an Under 7s Festival for dozens of junior players before Leeds Rhinos take on the Kiwis at Headingley Stadium, where they will certainly be inspired by getting up close with one of the world’s top international teams.
“Throughout the week, children across Leeds will get chance to take part in rugby league opportunities. We already have 300 Year 3/4 pupils taking part in Tag Rugby tournaments and taster sessions, as well as teacher CPD courses in partnership with Leeds Well Schools. The week will impact on thousands of young people who we hope will be inspired to attend a World Cup fixture and become regularly involved with the game.”
The long-awaited Rugby League World Cup 2021 competition finally gets underway on Saturday 15th October, with Leeds staging eight of the 61 games that will be taking place over the course of five action-packed weeks.
For the first time in the sport’s history, the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments will all be played at the same time in a BIGGER and BETTER Rugby League World Cup than ever before, with the RFL’s InspiredBy campaign capitalising on the excitement around this home tournament to get more people playing the sport.
To grab your tickets and be part of this unmissable sporting event, please visit www.rlwc2021.com/tickets.
For all the latest updates throughout Leeds Rhinos Foundation’s InspiredBy World Cup Week, follow us on Twitter @RugbyLeeds and leave a like on our Facebook page HERE.