By Femi Atolagbe

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The Nigeria Rugby Football Federation (NRFF) has announced the appointment of 15 coaches to spearhead Rugby Rising Play Nigeria, a grassroots initiative aimed at promoting girl-child participation in rugby across the nation

Rugby Rising Play is World Rugby’s first bespoke girls participation programme designed to support efforts in introducing teenage girls to rugby in a progressive and enjoyable manner.

The selected coaches, drawn from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, will work under the supervision of Wuraola Hussain, a Rugby Africa-certified educator. They are tasked with driving the development of rugby from the grassroots, fostering inclusivity, and encouraging young girls to take up the sport.

The appointments were made based on the coaches’ completion of T1 Rugby Course, World Rugby’s first non-contact sport that fully reflects the unique characteristics of Rugby, including scrums, lineouts and breakdown with an emphasis on fun, fitness, inclusion and time optimisation.

List of Coaches by state:

 Amarachi Orji -Abia State, Lawrenta Ukponwan-Edo State,  Azeez Raafiu Abimbola-Rivers State, Opene Awuli -Delta State, Olanrewaju Teslim Pereira- Abuja FCT, Torkwase Adugu -Benue State, Innocent Adaeze Precious -Lagos State, Paul Adagbo -Plateau State, Umar Bau -Kano State, Kehinde Adelaja -Ogun State, Mohammed Ibrahim -Kwara State, Shehu Garba -Bauchi State, Moses Dominic Archibong- Akwa Ibom State, Vincent Paul -Anambra State, Sadam Abubakar -Kaduna State

Meanwhile, all coaches have successfully completed their safeguarding course in accordance with NRFF and World Rugby’s child protection policies, ensuring a safe and secure environment for children to enjoy rugby.

This strategic initiative aims to harness the talent and potential of young girls, creating pathways for their involvement and growth in rugby at the national level.