Ghana Rugby League announces 2022 calendar
Rugby League Federation Ghana has announced their fixture schedule for 2022. The opening event will be a touch rugby festival at the University of Ghana in Legon on 16 January. At the same venue a month later, on 13 February, RLFG will host a Long Tag Rugby League event.
A series of 9's tournaments will take place from 13 March through to 10 April alongside University of Ghana Inter-Hall games, with the men’s, women’s and youth championships designated from 1 May to 1 July. Following that will be an Origin game on 27 August leading to selection for the national side for the Middle East Africa Championship the following month - national team training taking place twice a month - the season finishing in early December with a beach tournament.
Plans are also in hand for a ‘Tackle Like a Lady’ campaign between March and April, together with others linked to blood donation and cancer awareness. Coaching and match official courses are scheduled for late January, together with a ‘Know the Laws’ forum in April.
A coaching event is also in place for February in the region of Kumasi, new to the sport. Already, a three-day workshop has been held to introduce rugby league to the region, in association with the Ashanti Regional Directorate of the National Sports Authority (NSA), at the Baba Yara Sports Stadium.
More than 50 coaches, officials and physical education teachers were given a presentation which included the origin of the game, were taught the basic skills involved and introduced to officiating. Emmanuel Kojo Appiah, acting regional director of the NSA commented: “Rugby league is a new sport to the region and I am happy the RLFG has honoured our invitation to introduce it to the senior high tutors.”
The sport will now be piloted in six selected schools in Kumasi, in the Asokore Mampong Municipal Education District, with workshop participant Philomena Kakra Buckman, noting: “It is important we have a multi-sport discipline to offer our students. This workshop has broadened our knowledge, there will be challenges along the way but we will put in the necessary effort to push rugby league.”
RLFG technical director Marshall Nortey, who was in attendance along with general manager Jafaru Awudu Mustapha and coach Julius Amevor, added that, with the interest of teachers and handlers and the requisite resources from the federation and their new partnership with Super League club Salford, the Ashanti region was a potential powerhouse in-waiting. “As a federation we are keen on spreading our sport and we will ensure that we engage in more workshops similar to this to explain and teach rugby league to every Ghanaian we make contact with.”
