Street Rugby League Success Continues

All the Street Rugby League training and games are being held in open community spots such as local parks and playing fields, making it more accessible for youngsters in more under-privileged areas to get involved in playing sport and keeping fit. High school children of both sexes, all ages and abilities were invited to take part.

Street Rugby League uses the basics of the regular game but with slightly adapted rules to suit the conditions. As it is a mixed sex game, contact is limited when a player faces up against another from the opposite sex. It is full contact otherwise.

The winners of the first competition were the team from Caerau in Maesteg, one of four local sides to have entered the competition.

Hannah Richards from Safer Bridgend said: “Street Rugby League is a 16-week programme and we’ve got young people from Sarn, Caerau, Wildmill and Nant-y-Moel taking part. We’ve been running the programme since the middle of August. This is the first festival of four and we’re all looking forward to the next three".

“The goal for us has been to reduce anti-social behaviour and to get children involved in physical activity".

“This festival has been fantastic with good engagement from the young people who have been working really well with Matt Pritchard from the Crusaders who coaches them. There’s almost 100 people here today, it’s a great occasion and has been made possible through Operation BANG (Be a Nice Guy) funded by Community Cashback which gives local people a say in how recovered criminal assets (for example confiscated cash or property) should be spent in their communities".

“I’d like to thank Youth Works, Bridgend County Borough Council Youth Service and Nathaniel’s Car Sales for donating their mini buses, South Wales Police for use of the land and lighting at Waterton as well as all staff and volunteers involved.”

Conway Hawkins, the Anti-Social Behaviour co-ordinator for Safer Bridgend, also attended the festival and was impressed with what he saw.

“There are young people out here that people said we could never engage with,” he said. “Some have been involved in high level anti-social behaviour but when the right people come in and engage with them, this is what they’ll do, they’ll come down and play sport, it’s just about having the right facilities and the right people to work with them and I think that the Crusaders and Wales Rugby League have done that. It’s been really amazing. Matt has been tremendous but the whole thing has got the right kids off the streets and doing a good activity.”

Matt Pritchard, community development manager at the Crusaders said: “ For the first time, each area saw that they were one of four who have been training hard for many weeks. They know they are part of something very special, all the children on the day showed great discipline which is what sport is all about and the changes as individuals they have shown from when they started to now is incredible and they really deserve to feel proud as they all representated there area highly. The highlight for me was not only seeing it come together but to see a girl full tackle a lad showing that its not just a game for lads.

“I’d also like to thank the Sports Council for Wales, The Welsh Assembly Government, Décor, Street Games, Safer Bridgend and the South Wales Police for all their help throughout this programme.”

Click here to view more photos of the Street rugby league festival