Warriors hold Festival of Inclusivity

• Wigan Warriors held a Festival of Inclusivity ahead of Friday’s Super League victory over Castleford Tigers.
• More than 150 players from Warriors teams and Community Clubs took part in the festival.
• Chairman Ian Lenagan led the First Team through the Fan Village and to the DW Stadium.

Wigan Warriors held a successful Festival of Inclusivity at Robin Park Arena and the DW Stadium ahead of Friday night’s Super League victory over Castleford Tigers.

More than 150 players of all ages, abilities, and genders took part in 15 different sessions led by the Warriors’ Community Foundation before Matt Peet’s side beat Castleford in the final home game of the regular season.

The sessions, which were held on the main pitch and surrounding running track at Robin Park Arena, saw our Wheelchair, LDRL and PDRL teams joined by players from our junior and adult Touch, Alcedo Boys Futures and Greenmount Girls Academy.

The festival also welcomed players from chosen Community Clubs – Orrell St. James, Wath Brow Hornets, Wigan St. Cuthberts RLFC and Westhoughton Lions ARLFC – to get involved with the activities, which included participants attempting to complete the Davanti Tyre passing challenge.

First Team squad members Logan Astley, Zach Eckersley, Jacob Douglas, and Tom Forber competed in a Wheelchair exhibition match against members of the Warriors Wheelchair Team. There was also the opportunity for supporters to take pictures with the PDRL and Wheelchair World Cup trophies.

The festival continued inside the Fan Village as supporters cheered the First Team players – led by Chairman Ian Lenagan – across to the DW Stadium prior to warming up on the pitch.

Our Women’s team, who face York Valkyrie in the play-off semi-final on Saturday, also paraded the pitch at half time alongside the Girls Academy.

Speaking on the festival, Wigan Warriors Schools Education Manager Scott Rafferty said: “Friday was a fantastic opportunity for us to highlight the wide variety of delivery we currently have in the Foundation.

“Although participants predominantly trained in their own teams, there were opportunities for the players to get involved in different sessions and a personal highlight of mine was seeing some of the First Team lads playing against members of the Wheelchair Team as well as players from our Community Clubs.

“On behalf of the Foundation team, I would like to say thank you to everyone who came down to take part and support the event.”