FIVE girls from Negros Occidental will fly to Belfast in North Ireland to join the Pass It Back Cup 2017 Belfast at Belfast Harlequins RFC on August 21, the day before the Women’s Rugby World Cup Semi-Finals.
The youths coming from Asia will play under the banner of the South-East Asian Dragons and will compete with girls teams from across Belfast in a participation tag rugby event.
The five Negrense player s are from the cities of Bacolod, Bago, Talisay and E.B. Magalona town.
The Philippine Rugby Football Union did not release the full names of the girls to “safeguard (the) children.”
They will be joined by coach Angel Maire Gelisanga of Talisay and Philippine Rugby staff Anne Marice Sajorne.
The Women’s Rugby World Cup 2017 aims to inspire young girls in Asian communities as the Irish Rugby Football Union (IRFU), World Rugby, and ChildFund Pass It Back bring girls from across the world’s most populous continent to Ireland to take part in an international rugby competition.
Pass It Back is an innovative Sport for Development program led by ChildFund in partnership with World Rugby, Asia Rugby, and Women Win that 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 Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam have benefitted from participation in the program, with girls making up over 50 per cent of the players and coaches.
Chris Mastaglio, director of ChildFund Pass It Back, said: “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.”
Mastaglio added that ChildFund’s Pass It Back program prioritizes gender equity and the inclusion of girls to have “lots of female players from Asia taking part who can be inspired by their peers in Belfast.”
Nora Stapleton, Women’s and Girls' Development Manager of the IRFU, said: “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.”
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. (with PR)