The Ghana Rugby Association continued their ‘Catch them young’ initiative of introducing the game to potential players at an early age by distributing rugby balls to schools within the Teshie suburb of Accra at a short but impressive ceremony last week.
This follows in the footsteps of several similar exercises throughout the country since SG-SSB sponsored for the balls to be bought in China and shipped down by DHL at the end of last year.
Gifty Annan-Myers, President of GRA reiterated the potential of rugby to churn out professional athletes who can not only compete on a global stage, but affect the lives of Ghanaians as a whole. She therefore urged both teachers and students of the beneficiary schools to put the balls into good use by nurturing talents.
“Rugby is a sport for everyone, it looks dangerous but it’s highly disciplined because there are rules and if you play according to the rules, it is not rough. They talk about injuries but a lot more people get injured playing football than rugby,” Madam Annan-Myers said.
Abdul Samad Said, GRA National Training Manager added a word of caution: “The way you take the game is how it will develop in your community. Other schools have gone to play in the UK through rugby, some have won scholarships. We’ll all enjoy the game if we are serious with it.”
In the event, LEKMA 7, LEKMA 1, LEKMA 5, LEKMA 9, LEKMA 11, Teshie Presby, Camp 1 and Ledzokuku South (kindergarten) were Primary schools who received rugby balls at the Ledzokuku Krowor (LEKMA) Southern Cluster of Schools.
Junior High School beneficiaries were Teshie Presby, Rock Academy, Abi International, Mensah Sarbah International, Ebenezer International, LEKMA 1, LEKMA 8, LEKMA 3, LEKMA 4 as well as LEKMA 7 with Teshie Presec being the only High School to also get balls.
In the end, Madam Justine Ivy Apawu, Head of the LEKMA Southern Cluster of Schools expressed her appreciation to GRA for the free rugby balls and gave the assurance that the schools will make full use of the balls received.
“We like the catch them young slogan and we will catch them young. Madam said its teamwork so all of us need to come together so we can make the game develop to a level which can encourage sponsors to support more,” Madam Apawu said.
She continued: “I appeal to the teachers not to go and put the balls down in their cupboard but take it to the field to play and develop good players.”
