New Inclusion Partnership for North Wales Crusaders
The North Wales Crusaders RLFC are a professional rugby league club in North Wales. 2013 saw the development of a wheelchair rugby league team through financial support from Sport Wales, and the development of a community programme which included a new charity arm of the Club for disability and wheelchair sport.
North Wales Crusaders RLFC are working in partnership with Disability Sport Wales and Sport Flintshire in order to increase sporting opportunities for disabled juniors and adults. In addition to their regular wheelchair rugby league club, there will be a community programme implemented in to local schools providing wheelchair sport, delivered in conjunction with Sport Flintshire. This partnership will increase young people’s awareness of disability sport and increase the number of disabled people engaged in physical activity in Flintshire.
Disability Sport Wales is the lead organisation for the development of sport and physical activities for disabled people. Sport Flintshire has a local Disability Sport Wales Development Officer who works closely with this project; Donna Bullivant-Evans highlights ‘It’s brilliant to have such a proactive club who are keen to develop good quality sport provision for disabled people. Through working in partnership, we can raise awareness of disability sport and get hundreds of people actively involved in wheelchair sport’.
North Wales Crusader’s Wheelchair Rugby League team are looking for new players in 2014. The team play in a national league and 6 of their players have gone on to represent Wales in the International game. Training takes place on a Friday evening at Deeside Leisure Centre 6pm - 8pm, starting on March 21st 2014. Bob Wilson, North Wales Crusaders director states ‘North Wales Crusaders are extremely delighted to be in partnership with Disability Sport Wales and Sport Flintshire. Deeside Leisure Centre is the home of Wales rugby league and the Crusader’s wheelchair team train and play their matches there. We are looking forward to the forthcoming season and welcoming new players to our club’.
Wheelchair rugby league is an exciting sport which offers a fantastic opportunity to people of all abilities. Whilst it is a wheelchair sport, you do not have to be a wheelchair user or have any level of impairment to play.
For further information regarding wheelchair rugby league or any other disability sport in Flintshire please contact Donna Bullivant-Evans on donna_bullivant-evans@flintshire.gov.uk 01352 702480.
