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| Sunday, 2 June 2002 |
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Sharp focus for kids at CH & FC by PELHAM JURIANSZ Brown & Company Limited, the sole distributor for Sharp Electronics in Sri Lanka and the main sponsor of the CH & FC Rugby team for 2002, announced the launch of their special Junior Rugby Development program for kids which commenced yesterday, June 1. Speaking at the press briefing at the CH & FC, Chandrishan Perera former CH & FC and Sri Lanka player, said that it was a very important day for the CH & FC who have been in the forefront of rugby for the past 120 years. The aim of the Program which will be handled by IRB qualified coach New Zealander Matt Lee who is the project director is to familiarise kids from the ages of 9-13 about the various aspects of playing rugby. Matt's team of local coaches would include former Sri Lanka players and club captains of the calibre of Rohan Abeykoon, Nazim Mohamed, Chandrishan Perera himself, Bimal Perera, Jude Dimitri, Graham Rauz and Imthi Marikkar. The coaches will focus on individual skills required for rugby i.e. ball familiarization, ball handling, passing, kicking, running etc. It also provides an opportunity for spotting natural talent at an early age. In addition this program, which will encompass the whole rugby season and carry on till October, will ultimately lead to the formation of a CH juniors squad, who will then play competitive matches against juniors of other leading clubs like Kandy, prior to the main league games both home and away. It also provides the youngsters with an opportunity of rubbing shoulders with their heros in the big league when they will set foot on the same ground with their "stars". Different coaches will be obtained in the future to train the boys in sprinting, weight training etc. and muscle building in order to strengthen the physique of the youngster. The program is open to all youngsters not just those whose fathers are members of the CH & FC and the idea is to broadbase the program and try to spot talent at a very young age and cultivate through rugby knowledge and even help those who come from less affluent backgrounds with nutrition and sports equipment as well. So, it is a long-term plan and not just a short-term venture. About sixty kids will participate in the initial training and most of them will be from the Western Province and assistance has been obtained from the Western Province Rugby Football Association who have donated 25 junior rugby balls. The first match which is scheduled for July 6 will be with the Kandy kids. It is the intention of Brown and Company to have a "Sharp" focus on rugby and not just at CH & FC but take the sport to all parts of the island and improve the rugby skills of the young kids. |
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