Ghana Rugby with the support of Societe Generale ended the 2019 year of “Get Into Rugby” (GIR) activities on a high note in Accra when 24 schools took part in a year-end festival at the Kawukudi Park in Accra, Ghana.
According to the President of Ghana Rugby, Herbert Mensah, 2019 was a very full year that produced many exciting results for the Union including the winning of the Trophy Challenges by both Ghana Rugby’s men’s and women’s sevens teams in South Africa and Tunisia respectively.
“Besides for the sevens successes Ghana Rugby also managed to proceed to the Pool Stage of the new Rugby Africa Cup competition by beating Botswana in Ghana. To end the year, however, with such an exciting youth rugby development festival is a very fitting way to conclude a challenging 2019,” Mensah said.
Mensah has maintained from the beginning of his administration in June 2014 that the establishment of rugby at grassroots levels in Ghana is, without doubt, the most important task of his administration.
“Ghana Rugby embraced the World Rugby “Get Into Rugby” youth development programme as an excellent introductory programme for everybody that wants to benefit from participating in a sport that truly builds character for our youth due to the values that underpin the sport. With the support of World Rugby and companies such as Societe Generale, we will continue to meet the enormous challenges to take rugby to all corners of Ghana,” Mensah said.
Board Member and Women’s Representative of Ghana Rugby, Rafatu Inusah, who is also in charge of the GIR Programme for Greater Accra said that the goal of the festival was to create an awareness of rugby in Ghana and to reward the kids who have been taking an active part since the inception of the GIR Programme.
“We are indeed proud of the President of Ghana Rugby, Mr Herbert Mensah, for his vision towards the development of Rugby in and we are thankful for his massive support. The support of Societe Generale is also highly appreciated and we hope that we will continue the successful partnership into 2020 and beyond,” Inusah said.
Inusah also thanked the teachers with a special word of thanks to Apaloo Christian and Odame Siawaa Sandra and Headmaster, Mohammed Hadi Abdallah of Circuit 19 Schools.
She also expressed appreciation to Ghana Eagles Lukman Yaya, Kofi Montchon, Swabiru Salim and Francis Donkor who officiated all the matches and who were supported by their teammates.
The GIR youth rugby development programme is currently actively managed in two Zones, Greater Accra and CentWest, and plans are underway to extend the footprint of rugby to other areas of Ghana.
“We would love to be in every school in Ghana to spread the character-building values of Rugby. To achieve that vision we will, however, require massive support from the Government of Ghana and especially from the Ghana Educational Services as well as from many more companies such as Societe Generale,” Mensah said.
