Al Ain: The UAE Rugby Federation (UAERF) hosted a rugby festival on Thursday for Emirati students from public schools in Al Ain.
More than 350 Emirati boys and girls from 11 schools made their way to Al Ain Amblers Rugby Club for an action-packed day of fun, rugby activities and competitive matches. All schools involved are part of the UAERF’s Player Pathway Programme, launched in partnership with the HSBC Bank in 2012 to promote the sport of rugby to young Emiratis, said the organisers.
A spokesperson of the festival organisers said that more than 20 schools and 2,900 Emiratis are now regularly playing the sport, which prides itself on the values of teamwork, courage and respect, as much as the fitness and strength required to be a good player.
“Witnessing the growth of this sport in Al Ain over the past two years has been so rewarding,” said Coach Sami Smara, who was recently awarded ‘Coach of the Year’ at the annual UAE Rugby Players Awards. He said that HSBC’s programme was launched with the objective of finding 2,900 Emiratis ready to embrace the sport. “Too many kids in the UAE are not getting enough exercise, so our mission with festivals like today is to introduce them to the sport and help them make new friends through rugby,” he added.
Qais Abdullah Al Dhalai, General Secretary of the UAERF, said: “Emirati rugby has come such a long way in Al Ain and is now setting a great example for the other emirates to follow.” He said the federation’s message to youngsters is that they don’t have to be good at football to travel the world and represent the UAE — rugby is a fantastic sport that is growing in the UAE.
HSBC supports the work of the UAERF through funding, the supply of playing/training kits, expert coaching from its global rugby ambassadors and the creation of the first ever Arabic language coaching manual in 2012.
