Leeds Metropolitan University
International
Jug Johal visits India
Supported by the Youth Charter, BARA aims to promote community integration, personal development and healthy living amongst British Asians, encouraging participation in sport in general and rugby in particular. Jug Johal, co-founder of BARA with Ikram Butt, recently flew to India on a ten day trip to extend this message to communities in the region of Punjab.
"I went to India to try and develop the game of rugby in Punjab and assist in the development of clubs. I had never been to Punjab before and there was so much interest from the kids there when they saw a different shaped ball. There would be four or five children playing at the start and very quickly it would be a game involving 40 or 50 children. To see that was amazing" said Jug.
Scunthorpe rugby player Jug had meetings with the Executive Director of the National Institute of Sport and the Asian Rugby Football Federation and discovered that, although work has been done to develop the sport over the last four years, the India Rugby Football Union did not know that rugby was being played in Punjab and therefore Punjab has never had any presence on the rugby stage. Johal subsequently set up a meeting between these organisations and in Bombay and as a result, Punjab have now been invited to compete in the India National Games.
Jug said "It's a massive breakthough and rugby can flourish in Punjab now. A rugby pitch and an academy is going to be set up in Punjab now which will enable students to gain scholarships to play rugby and study at the same time".
Of his trip, Jug said "It was quite a trip and the achievements made meant a lot to me".
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