Philippine National Rugby League To Host First Technical Education Courses

• The international federation this year launched the most expansive investment into grassroots game development in its history
• The technical education project objective is to ensure that every IRL member nation is able to produce its own coaches and match officials, through accredited local educators
• The IRL's system focuses heavily on continuing technical development between courses, to ensure that acquired knowledge turns into maturing understanding of the game, higher technical standards and an authentically developed sport
• The project is underpinned by state of the art e-learning management systems and coaching resources

Local Filipino rugby league participants will begin their technical formation next week when an IRL team is deployed to Manila during the Asia Pacific Rugby League's Asian Championship. 

IRL coach and match official tutors will lead level 1 courses at the same time as Pambansang Ragbi Liga NG Pilipinas (Philippines National Rugby League) hosts Japan, Singapore and Hong Kong in Manila. The mission objectives are to certify all course attendees in both technical strands and identify local leads in each strand who will set off on the pathway to becoming IRL Level 1 Educators, with the ability to accredit local practitioners. Currently, nearly 40 candidates have been signed up to take the courses, including 32 locals. 

PNRL president Reynaldo Nery said: “On behalf of the Philippines National Rugby League board, I am pleased to acknowledge the IRL for facilitating this much-anticipated rugby league education course. This initiative represents an important advancement for the development of rugby league in the Philippines and is expected to open new avenues for local Filipinos.”

IRL is also deploying three match officials from Australia to support the APRL event, with course participants set to be appointed to touch judging, reserve referee and interchange officiating roles for the four scheduled games. The Philippines Sports Commission is supporting the intervention through facility provision. 

In addition to deployments to the three African pilot countries and the Philippines, this year the project has also seen two African match official leaders deployed to Italy for a week's training camp during Euro C and the deployment of an IRL match official tutor to Ghana this week to sign off a number of local match officials. Further IRL outreach in multiple countries is being planned.