The additional equipment, provided to 173 schools, colleges and universities around Wales to assist hub officers, teachers and coaches was financed by the WRU’s Return to Rugby fund following two years of lockdowns and disruptions to the community game.
Former Wales international Chris Czekaj is Hub Officer at Cardiff High in Roath, having previously carried out the same role at Bishop of Llandaff School. After many years at the top end of professional rugby, Chris is happy to be putting something back into the game at grassroots level.
“I’ve seen the other side of rugby and this is very different but I’m thoroughly enjoying it. I’ve been coaching since I retired and this role helps my coaching massively and I get to coach boys and girls of all different ages and abilities which really develops you as a coach.
“There’s plenty of enthusiasm for the game, especially in this school. Students enjoy training and ask me every week when can they play next. I try to make sure there are opportunities for everyone and that’s all they want. We have boys and girls’ teams throughout the school, for new and more experienced players – it’s not difficult to organise fixtures for the teams now, there are plenty of other schools with a similar appetite for rugby as us for girls’ and boys’ matches. Rugby is part of the core curriculum here so everyone has the chance to play and develop.
The nine-times capped international wing believes the hub officer role can offer a different perspective within educational settings.
“Rugby is definitely an outlet for some pupils. My relationship with them can be slightly different to that of a teacher so I’m able to speak to them on their level which can sometimes help them to open up. We know rugby can be an incentive for some and hopefully my role can help students to engage more with general learning too.”
