Tom Brindle: ‘an Incredible Opportunity For Rugby League’
With the long-awaited Rugby League World Cup 2021 in England now less than two weeks away, the Rugby Football League (RFL) Head of Growth Tom Brindle shares his thoughts on Three Lions Week, an RFL initiative that has seen clubs across the country throw open their like never before to give people of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds the chance to give rugby league a go.
A home World Cup is always an incredible opportunity for a sport to showcase itself and inspire. The Rugby League World Cup 2021 which kicks off in less than two weeks (and a year later than planned!) is no exception. This year’s tournament will be historic for the sport. It will be first time that the men’s, women’s and wheelchair tournaments have run alongside each other. It will also see the first ever PDRL (Physical Disability Rugby League) World Cup taking place making it the most inclusive World Cup in history.
This theme of inclusivity was reflected in this week’s Three Lions Week as excitement builds towards the start of the tournament. Working in partnership with club foundations across the country, thousands of people have taken part in sessions, with many trying the sport for the first time.
Monday saw Leeds Rhinos Foundation and England pair Caitlin Beevers and Georgia Roche take part in a session with girls from their old club Dewsbury Moor, hours after being announced in the England squad. On Tuesday, Salford Red Devils Foundation hosted a Learning Disability session for over 40 people with the support of rugby league legend Adrian Morley, while across the Pennines, Hull KR Foundation launched their new PDRL (Physical Disability Rugby League) programme with the help of the inspirational Connor Lynes who was named in the England PDRL squad for the tournament, despite suffering a recent stroke. Friday saw hundreds of school children in the north-east taking part in a special World Cup tournament ahead of England kicking off their campaign against Samoa at St. James Park and games taking place at the Riverside Stadium in Middlesbrough.
Three Lions Week has shown the rugby league community at its best, with legends of the sport like Adrian alongside current stars Caitlin Beevers and Georgia Roche all getting behind it and showing their support. It has also highlighted the RFL’s commitment to growing the game, forming part of our wider InspiredBy campaign, the sport’s largest ever recruitment drive, which in August saw community clubs across the country put on festivals aimed at getting young people into the sport.
With 17 host venues across the country, healthy ticket sales (over 350,000 sold to date), all 61 games set to be broadcast free-to-air on the BBC, and an investment of nearly £23 million to transform facilities across the country as part of the tournament’s social impact programme, this World Cup is an incredible moment and opportunity for the sport.
Featured image credit: Will Palmer / SWpix.com
