Warriors support LDRL at Ince Rose Bridge

Over the past few months Wigan Warriors Community Foundation have been working closely with Community Club Ince Rose Bridge in supporting them to get their own LDRL session running.

Scott Winstanley, Ince Rose Bridge’s LDRL Coach has done an excellent job at providing the opportunity for players to come down, give them their own taste of Rugby League, make new friends and give them somewhere to go.

On Saturday Wigan Warriors’ LDRL team met up with Ince Rose Bridge’s newly formed side, where they enjoyed a wonderful experience of playing against one another. For many of the Ince Rose Bridge players it was their first taste of playing against an opponent, and gave a great opportunity for both teams to enjoy a fantastic experience.

Wigan Warriors LDRL coach Gareth Roughton said: “During the last 5 years we have been putting in a remarkable amount of time and effort to develop our Learning disability team into something that embodies what Wigan is and how we want to give opportunities to everyone to play Rugby.

“The next logical step in continuing that is to look at the Community clubs and what we can do to develop any pathways for people to come into the sport. From Speaking with Scott at Ince Rose Bridge it was clear from our first conversations that he is passionate about giving those same opportunities to young kids to develop them and give the opportunities which they might not have had before.”

He added: “The gameday itself was an amazing experience for everyone involved. Seeing our players help motivate and develop the players at Ince was, for me, a clear example of how we help build confidence in those players who have been within this team for some time. I’m just glad that we are now able to start building this version of Rugby League within our Community and as a Club offer that support to those Clubs and bring them on this journey.”

Scott Winstanley, Ince Rose Bridge LDRL coach added: “Saturday was a stride in the right direction bringing inclusivity to Ince Rose Bridge sports and Community Club, our LDRL team has been up and running since November and they welcomed Wigan Warriors LDRL team into their session to take part in their first game.

“To say we are proud is an understatement, every child running around with a smile on their face supporting each other across both teams is what it’s all about. Onwards and upwards for these kids creating opportunities they deserve and building a community for their parents and carers.”

For more information about Learning Disability Rugby League, contact Wigan Warriors Community Foundation on Community@wiganwarriors.com.