African RL News

[Bronco Rob]

I thought I'd start a thread with all things Rugby League in Africa rather than a thread for each individual bit of news.

Great news with Nigeria now involved in Rugby League along with Ghana, Sierra Leone and Kenya.

Rugby League development taking place in Nigeria

http://www.nospam18.com/images/nations/Nigeria/RugbyLeagueNigeria.jpgDate: 4/8/14
Rugby League can't be criticized for standing still! Nigeria of all places, is taking up the greatest game and it is on the back of African nations like Ghana taking up rugby league.
In the last 24 months Nigeria have been flying under the radar but have been involved in various rugby league developmental activities.
With the assistance of Danny Kazandjian from the Rugby League Federation the Nigerian Rugby League sent 3 officials over to Accra for rugby league coaching.
Danny has also been instrumental in sending 48 used Rugby League Balls from Warrington Wolves to the Nigerian Rugby League. The footballs have assisted the Nigerian Rugby League in their various Rugby League Nigeria advocacy campaigns.
Uche Ezechiogbe has been flying the rugby league flag in Nigeria over the last two years.
Rugby League Planet asked Uche what development activities have been happening on the ground and how far off is official recognition by the RLEF? " We have since conducted 2, Easter rugby league clinics in 2013 and 2014, training activities in other a number places in within Nigeria."
"We recently embarked on a plan to reach out to Tertiary Institutions in Nigeria, and are at an advanced stage to start a weekly Rugby League outing with Corp Members."
"We are presently working with Danny with regards to receiving NZRL referee Simon Taylor around October ending and early November 2014 to further assist."
We could not bring in all our papers to register as an observer nation with RIEF, but we are still closely working with the newly appointed RLEF/MEA Remond Sefi ."
Well it seems that the Rugby League Team in Nigeria are keen to get the sport firing along. If you want to keep up to date with the latest check out their Facebook page on www.facebook.com/rugbyleaguenigeria and stay tuned to Rugby League Planet.

http://www.nospam18.com/rlp-nations/nigeria/1842-rugby-league-development-taking-place-in-nigeria

 

[deal.with.it]

Great news

 

[The Partisan]

Welcome Nigeria - to our ever growing Rugby League family !



All the best to those assisting in the efforts for this frontier.

 

[Evil Homer]

Nigeria granted RLEF Observer membership.

http://www.rlef.eu.com/news/article/907/rugby-league-nigeria-accepted-as

Sierra Leone's application for membership delayed due to the Ebola epidemic.

 

[Evil Homer]

RL receives government recognition in Ghana.

http://www.rlef.eu.com/news/article/925/rugby-league-receives-government-recognition

Article also mentions that the RLEF are working with organizations in Ethiopia and Kenya.

 

[deal.with.it]

Brilliant

 

[Bronco Rob]

RL receives government recognition in Ghana.

http://www.rlef.eu.com/news/article/925/rugby-league-receives-government-recognition

Article also mentions that the RLEF are working with organizations in Ethiopia and Kenya.

Huge news and well done to Sylvester Wellington, he has done a massive job in getting the game in West Africa.

Ethiopia is a new frontier and that would make 6 RL playing nations in Africa if you included Nigeria and Morocco.

 

[Evil Homer]

I make it 7. Nigeria, Morocco, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Sierra Leone and South Africa. Be interesting to see if any of them apart from SA make it to the World Cup qualifiers. Nigeria could have a pretty strong team just based on heritage players.

I wonder if the Kenyan organization mentioned is the same one that was involved in the match with the rebel Italians earlier in the year.

 

[TheInternationalist]

GHANA RUGBY LEAGUE OBTAINS GOVERNMENT RECOGNITION..

Two-and-a-half years after the first steps were taken to establish rugby league’s first presence in West Africa, the Ghanaian National Sports Authority has officially recognised the sport.... In a letter dated 13 October, Joe Kpenge, director general of the NSA, confirmed his organisation’s decision to allow Ghana Rugby League to access more facilities, acquire sponsorships and, crucially, open the door for local schools to play against each other, rather than only internally.

This is a significant step forward, brokered by Sylvester Wellington who assumed the role of national development manager in June 2012. “The British Pioneers tour was very successful, we obtained observer status [of the RLEF], and now after one year of trying to get accreditation, we have it,” he said from Accra. “We want to say a big thank you to all those who have helped us. I now know our hard work has paid off but we will use this achievement to move to greater heights now have legal documents backing us."

RLEF Middle East Africa Director Remond Safi, who is working with Ethiopian and Kenyan associations to gain Observer status, and who guided the Sierra Leone Federation to acquire that last month, believes the move will significantly contribute to rugby league’s growth in the region. “The GRL gaining government recognition will prompt them to become pioneers and lead other West African nations to follow in their footsteps,” he commented. “It's a great day for international rugby league whenever a new government recognises the sport.”

 

[DC_fan]

In such a troubled part of the world, Ebola amongst other things, its good to see the game moving ahead.

 

[Evil Homer]

Sierra Leone granted RLEF membership (along with the USARL)

http://www.rlef.eu.com/news/article/952/rlef-admits-sierra-leone-and

 

[The Partisan]

Good to see the England Lions returning to South Africa. I was there on holidays in '95 when BARLA u/23's visited.




Looks like some processes to get a squad together for the Rhinos.

http://www.sarugbyleague.co.za/uploads/2/5/8/2/25820717/press_release-background.pdf


After catching a few moments of various Northern v Southern hemosphere teams play in the other code - one can only wish for a similiar situation in the years to come.

 

[The Partisan]

Option 2 !

http://www.sarugbyleague.co.za/seniors.html

 

[The Partisan]

Wonder if this 2012 initiative is still a going concern.

http://www.sportingpulse.com/club_info.cgi?c=0-0-71861-0-0&sID=266459

Pretty sure there is always an African United at the Cabramatta 7's (9's ?) every now and then too.

 

[Evil Homer]

^ With due respect I'm not sure what relevance a bunch of Aussies playing in Australia has to African RL development.

 

[roughyedspud]

england lions?? what level is that? NCL?

*edit*

http://www.therfl.co.uk/more/play/english_lions


ah...get it now

 

[ParraEelsNRL]

http://www.totalrl.com/forums/index.php/topic/261695-ethiopia-rugby-league-awarded-observer-status/

Following three years of development work in the state of Tigray, Ethiopia has been awarded official observer status by the RLEF, becoming the sixth African nation to be recognised.

Centred around the Nicholas Robinson School in Mekelle, the sport is regularly taught to 1,300 children, aged between 7 and 17. Read more

http://www.rlef.eu.com/news/article/962/ethiopia-recognised-as-an-observer

Well done, this is a surprise and something I didn't expect esp with the numbers already involved.

 

[clarency]

6 African teams?

I wonder what happens if each team grows to "full member" size... What happens then?

Will RLEF let them go to form their own federation or will they keep them and try to expand further and form their own "RLIF"?

 

[taipan]

Great stuff from the Horn of Africa.If this sort of expansion continues at the current rate,we will soon have as many countries involved in rugby league as there are playing 15 man penalty ball.

A federation of African rugby league countries (FARLC) with admin based in South Africa IMOP would be the way to go.

 

[deal.with.it]

Need money first