ScottishPower and Glasgow Warriors today (Wednesday, 17 February) kicked off a new secondary schools rugby tournament to help identify future stars of Scottish rugby.
It’s also hoped the ScottishPower Warriors Rugby Championship will provide further opportunities for pupils to take part in rugby at a grass roots level across the West of Scotland. Following on from the successful conferences run by Scottish Rugby’s School and Youth Department between August and December, this championship will provide further opportunities for schools to play games.
The Championship was officially launched today at Scotstoun Stadium by pupils from Lenzie Academy and Duncanrig High School along with Glasgow Warriors stars Alex Dunbar, Adam Ashe, Rory Hughes and Glenn Bryce. A fundamental part of ScottishPower’s three year sponsorship of Glasgow Warriors, and its commitment to supporting grassroots opportunities in Scotland, the tournament will see 16 schools take part in qualifying rounds in early March. The entry criteria required each School to have boy’s teams at S1 and S2, as well as a girl’s team at under-15s.
Each participating school will compete in a qualifying event played at Scotstoun before the winners from each day progress to the semi-final stages, which will be played at their own schools. The winners of the semi-finals will then lock horns at the home of the Glasgow Warriors in the final of the tournament.
The champions will win brand new rugby kits for their school, as well as the first ScottishPower Warriors Rugby Championship trophy. All schools participating will have the opportunity to learn from the Glasgow Warriors players, within a professional environment at Scotstoun.
Keith Anderson, Chief Corporate Officer at ScottishPower, said: “The ScottishPower Warriors Rugby Championship is a further opportunity for schools to play and immerse themselves in a sport that is continuing to thrive in this country. We’re committed to working with Glasgow Warriors to help promote rugby in local school communities and give our next generation of rugby stars the chance to show off their skills and enjoy playing rugby at the ground one of Europe’s best professional clubs.”
Glasgow Warriors Project Officer Lindsey Smith, said: “This is a great opportunity for us to work closely with ScottishPower to strengthen our relationships with some of the schools within our community.
“This will help to inspire the next generation of rugby players, by providing them with the opportunity to play at the home of Glasgow Warriors and access to our professional environment and players.”
Jamie Hepburn MSP, Minister for Sport in Scotland, said: “I welcome the launch of this new championship, and I’d like to congratulate ScottishPower and Glasgow Warriors for organising it. Anything that increases the number of children taking part in sport has to be a good thing, and getting the opportunity to play at Scotstoun will be a great experience for all of these young players.”
For more information on the ScottishPower Warriors Rugby Championship, please contact Ali Downs or Joe Boyle on 0131 561 8628.