Rugby players aiming to hit South America target

Pupils at Haberdashers’ Abraham Darby Academy in Madeley, Telford, are working with teachers, parents and school governors to hit a target of £10,000 to fund the life-changing sporting trip to one of the Southern Hemisphere’s hotbeds of rugby union. It means that for the next year or so, a squad of 26 players from Years 10 and 11 will be learning and implementing new business skills alongside their rugby training as they lead the efforts to turn a dream into reality.

Will Bennett, Abraham Darby Academy’s head of rugby, said the tour will be no ordinary trip and that the squad is far from an ordinary school rugby team.

He said: “The idea of playing rugby within Shropshire a few years ago, never mind playing rugby in South America, was previously out of the question. But the school has since embraced the sport of rugby as a channel for good – using it to develop personal and team skills, provide discipline, inspire hard work and endeavour, and offer new horizons to show young people that there are genuine career and life opportunities when secondary education is finished.

“Rugby is being used as a vehicle to raise aspirations and academic results within the Academy. The success of our rugby teams is infectious and the players are fast becoming role models for other pupils.

“It promises to be an amazing trip, touring Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina, but support is needed to help fund it, which is why the pupils and everyone else connected with the school has launched a £10,000 fundraising campaign – an essential effort to ensure the tour can go ahead.

“We are asking people to help by donating whatever they can and we are also hoping to attract the interest of local businesses who would be willing to support us. This sponsorship would see their branding on the tour team jersey logos.”

As well as playing rugby, the planned trip to South America will offer pupils other potentially life-changing opportunities such as the Iguazu falls and Gaucho cowboy experiences on the plains of Argentina. They will also play four fixtures against top school rugby teams.

Bennett added: “This trip has huge potential to increase aspirations, expose young people to a different culture and widen their perspectives.

“A successful trip to South America in 2025 will change many young people’s lives. To help fund the trip in any way possible, you can contact me by emailing will.bennett@taw.org.uk or by calling 01952 386000.”

Abraham Darby Academy has a rich rugby past. In the 1970s and 1980s it was a powerhouse in the local Telford area and competed against some of the best sides in the Midlands. With a change in leadership in the late 1990s the school moved away from a focus on rugby - but, 15 years later, it has gone full circle and now finds itself playing rugby to the highest standards once more.

In the past 10 years the school has introduced a challenging rugby programme that sees all age groups training on a weekly basis, taking part in national and local competitions, as well as being the only state school in Shropshire to take part in Saturday rugby fixtures. The current year eight, nine and 10 teams are County Cup winners.