Deaf Rugby League Kicks Off in the North East
Lee Curry, Gateshead Thunder's Deaf and Hard of Hearing Development officer, has set up the specific sessions to work with players who are Deaf and are hard of hearing. The concept is to engage with the deaf and hard of hearing community in order to break down the perceived barriers of playing Rugby League.
The first coaching session was held at the Gateshead's very own International Stadium, with added support from Gateshead Thunders disabled liaison officer, Marie Houston, who helped interpret on the day.
Lee is also currently going through his Rugby League coaching qualifications with British Sign Language support and once qualified, will be the first qualified deaf Rugby League coach in the country.
Lee stated, "I am very pleased to say that the session was went fantastic, some of the players told me they play football most of time and it's their first time they have experienced playing Rugby League. It's a positive start for us and I hope in the future spread the word around community about this day and next session there will be more people to join in."
Here are some quotes from some of the participants:
Alex Brown, "I have played football for a long time and this was my first experience of playing Rugby League. Lee Curry is a great ambassador for the sport, and I thought the session was brilliant. I'm looking forward to future Rugby league sessions!"
Graeme Wright, "It was a fantastic day for us, I hope there are more deaf and hard of hearing people in the North East that come along to future sessions and give Rugby League a try!"
Declen Mcfarlane, "I think it was a brilliant idea to start and set up a specific Deaf and Hard of Hearing Rugby League sessions and hopefully from this, we can engage with more people to become involved in this great sport"
For more details on the programme, please contact Lee Curry leejcurry@hotmail.co.uk or visit the North East Rugby League Website for more details http://northeastrl.co.uk/article/deaf-rugby-league-kicks-off.html