THE Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 is set to inspire young female players from disadvantaged communities in Asia with the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), World Rugby and ChildFund Pass It Back, giving them the opportunity to visit Ireland and take part in an international competition.
Pass It Back is an innovative Sport for Development program, led by ChildFund, in partnership with World Rugby, Asia Rugby and Women Win, which delivers an integrated life skills and rugby curriculum for children and young people in disadvantaged communities across Asia.
To date, more than 3,000 children and youth from Lao PDR, the Philippines and Vietnam have benefited from participation in the program, with girls making up more than 50 percent of the players and coaches.
“Working in partnership with the IRFU and World Rugby, we decided to hold this event in the lead-up to the Women’s Rugby Cup Final to show that women and girls’ rugby is developing across the world—from international players at the event, to grassroots players from countries like Laos, Vietnam and the Philippines,” said Chris Mastaglio, director of ChildFund Pass It Back.
“In addition, ChildFund’s Pass It Back program prioritizes gender equity and the inclusion of girls, so we will have lots of female players from Asia taking part who can be inspired by their peers in Belfast,” Mastaglio added.
Youths from Asia will play under the banner of the Southeast Asian Dragons and will compete with girls teams from across Belfast in a participation tag rugby event, the ChildFund Pass It Back Cup 2017 Belfast at Belfast Harlequins RFC on August 21, the day before the Women’s Rugby World Cup Final.
“We are delighted to include ChildFund Pass It Back in our Impact Beyond programs for Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017, and we look forward to seeing girls from Belfast and surrounding areas welcoming girls from communities across Asia,” said Nora Stapleton, women’s and girls development manager of the IRFU.
ChildFund Pass It Back was established for young people who face significant poverty, and have few, if any, opportunities to get involved in organized sport. For young girls, the obstacles are even greater.