Rugby league great Jason Robinson has returned to the Chapeltown area he grew up in to bring the sport to more children with the help of Leeds Rhinos, Jamaica Rugby League and the Age Partnership; "This project is immensely close to my heart," he said
Tuesday 29 June 2021 18:07, UK
When a young Jason Robinson grew up in the Chapeltown area of Leeds little did he know what a difference he would be making, to this diverse community, further down the road.
The cross-code legend is now determined to give back to the area where he was born and raised in a new initiative between Leeds Rhinos Foundation and the Age Partnership with the help of his beloved Jamaican Rugby League side.
Jason Robinson, Age Partnership and Leeds Rhinos president Andrew Thirkill have come together to sponsor 10 primary schools in the local area with kit for two school teams meaning over 200 children will have the opportunity to play rugby league.
The Age Partnership Schools Cup will take place over the first school term in the lead-up to the World Cup and every child will have the opportunity to play at Headingley in September. The children will also play at Jordan Turner's testimonial game at Castleford Tigers where they will all receive certificates.
Robinson told Sky Sports: "This project is immensely close to my heart having grown up here in Chapeltown. It's great for me to be able to work together with Age Partnership to launch the Schools Cup.
"Being here with the Jamaican Rugby League squad is a fantastic opportunity to inspire so many children who have not had the chance to run around in the fresh air during the Covid pandemic, but can now laugh and smile with their friends and take part in the game that we all love.
"The most important thing to the whole partnership is being able to bring children from so many diverse backgrounds all into the same space and to make sure that these communities get to see that there is a pathway to elite sport and a chance to succeed here in Chapeltown and beyond."
Leeds and Jamaica have a long history with many of the Windrush generation settling in the city predominantly in the Chapeltown area just after the end of the Second World War.
The Leeds Rhinos club has benefited greatly over the years from those early settlers with players such as Ellery Hanley, Jamaica coach Chev Walker, Anthony Farrell, Ryan Bailey, and many more representing the club being born to those original Caribbean settlers.
"It is huge for us as a club at Leeds Rhinos to make sure we can get rugby league into these diverse communities not just here but throughout the country," Thirkill, told Sky Sports. "We have the ability, through the sport, to touch so many lives in these areas and show that there is a pathway for everyone."
"Bringing the sport into schools in what has historically been a very challenged area was a huge priority for me as the president of Leeds Rhinos.
"My dream is to see many more children from across the north and the many other diverse areas in the UK playing rugby league and maybe see a few of them making it onto the International stage at some point in the not-too-distant future."
Bob Bowman, the COO of the Leeds Rhinos Foundation told Sky Sports what was needed to make a project of this scale a success. "You have to build partnerships to make it work," he said. "You can't just hope people turn up and participate because of the reputation of the sport.
"Projects like the Age Partnership Schools Cup has to be nurtured and helped to grow and that's what we intend to do here starting in Chapeltown.
"There has always been an energy and a will to work within the more diverse areas of the city and now thanks to the vision of people like Jason Robinson we can make the lives of some of these children more fulfilling and by us putting a dedicated development officer into this area the plan will have all the help it needs to come to fruition.
"I can tell you now, we will without doubt unearth some of the future talent in the sport of rugby league, don't you worry about that!"
The Jamaican squad will be based in Leeds for the upcoming World Cup and the Jamaican Rugby League Association with the help of Robinson hope to ensure a legacy is created in the heart of the Caribbean community in the nation's host city.
