The 3000th opportunity to try out wheelchair rugby in Wales will be provided by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) and Great Britain Wheelchair Rugby (GBWR) on Wednesday 25 January at Brynteg Comprehensive School in Bridgend, Wales. The event coincides with the 100-day countdown to the 2023 Wheelchair Rugby European Championship at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff this 3-7 May; the opportunities to try the sport are part of the event’s significant legacy programme.
The programme aims to drive awareness and engagement with wheelchair rugby and strengthen local and national partnerships to enable the consistent long-term growth of the sport in Wales. The specific goal of reaching over 3000 children, teens and adults in Wales with wheelchair rugby experiences will be officially met at Brynteg Comprehensive School on 25 January, with GB player Kieran Flynn on hand to help deliver the milestone session.
Darren Carew, WRU National Inclusion Manager commented: “A huge amount of work has gone into the roll out of this programme; after more than 45 events we’re delighted that we’ll be reaching our goal of providing 3000 opportunities for people to try out wheelchair rugby – a goal that we’ve reached ahead of our initial timeline. 2023 will see the WRU armed with 30 wheelchairs and an excellent workforce of Hub Officers – a workforce which has grown significantly with newly qualified officers thanks to the programme – who can engage participants in wheelchair rugby consistently and on a larger scale than we have ever seen before.”
Jason Brisbane, GBWR CEO added: “We really hope that the impact of the championship will go beyond the event in May. Our aim is for it to become a lasting legacy for the foreseeable future, raising the profile of the sport in Wales and encouraging a new generation of talented players to join Welsh wheelchair rugby clubs.”
The sessions coincide with a Community Engagement Week which is being held to mark 100 days to go until the championship in May. Held on Welsh soil for the first time, the iconic Principality Stadium plays host to the championship which will see Paralympic gold medal winning Great Britain go head-to-head with seven other teams from 3-7 May, with the top two teams automatically qualifying for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris alongside France as hosts.
Tickets for the event are now on sale here: https://wreuro23.com/tickets/. An early bird sale for email subscribers, who will enjoy 10% off ticket prices, is currently live until Tuesday 31 January.
