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Hong Kong Rugby League - Kicks off in 2024

DIEHARD

DIEHARD

Administrator
Hi everyone.

I love Rugby League particularly International Rugby League. Like many of you I want to see our game played around the globe.

I live in Hong Kong (I'm an Aussie from Brisbane) and work in the education system. I have an educational and professional background in Business, Sport Management and Marketing.

I have been reflecting on getting Rugby League up in Hong Kong for a while. And recent discussion in the forum on the Mexico thread has encouraged me to post this topic.

Obviously what ever is done needs to be balanced and sustainable. Not based on any one person. It also can't be just an expats league, there needs to be proper and determined efforts to get Hong Kongers playing.

Things could begin as an interest group, gathering and recruiting the people we need to make a go of it.

There is an expat Australian population of 90,000 and then you have your people from the UK and NZ. Hk is a well known place to many and it is close to travel from Australia.

I also believe there are many of us out there with links to Hong Kong, or who have visited or work there.

One thing I do know, starting a Rugby League is one of the hardest things you can do and I wouldn't want to be taking any backward steps.
 
On Saturday night I had the pleasure of meeting Andrew Charles from the Thailand Stars. He was visiting Hong Kong (One of the luxuries of being a gateway city) and we managed to organise a catch up.

Andrew and the TRLA have been very successful with their staged development and work through the Asia Cup. He went into depth about how they started, the challenges and the future.

Andrew can be certainly described as an Internationalist with the game at heart. He gave me valuable advice and someone experienced to bounce ideas off. He was very encouraging and I agree that it should be similar to get Rugby League up in Hong Kong than any other Asian country.

He told me about the upcoming Phuket 9s and offering Thailand as a future opponent if we can form a side for a friendly.

I can really see how a group of nations in Asia, in close proximity could really help each other.

A photo to commemorate the occasion. Here is to international solidarity. I value his support and new friendship. A guy us internationalists can be proud of.

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Had a good turn out of around 10 passionate RL fans. Of course there were a lot more there and in other pubs but not specifically for this meet up.

We have a few experienced people ready to bring this to a reality.

We will meet again this weekend and every weekend of the Four Nations.

We will then have a more formal meeting afterwards to bring everyone together and move ahead.
 
Got a couple more people interested on some of the expat pages around.

Slowly but surely. Building and building.
 
So we had a fantastic meeting, full of brand new RL fans and keen internationalists.

We had many people wearing Kangaroos and Kiwis jerseys.

Lots of ideas. Lots of experience and skills. Including members of current RU clubs and former RL players.

We also agreed to start a touch footy team in a couple of weeks. We will call it the 13s, just so people know that we are the Rugby League guys.
 
Having drinks with two of my close partners in HKRL. This project is going to really turn into something special and fast.
 
I'll give you all the scoop. Tonight at 7pm HK time (9pm Queensland time) the Hong Kong Rugby League will be formalised.
 
HONG KONG RUGBY LEAGUE ESTABLISHED

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Rugby League’s continued push into Asia took a significant step forward this week with the formation of the Hong Kong Rugby League.

Joining the likes of Thailand, Japan and the Philippines, the Hong KongRugby League has been established to promote the growth and interest in all forms of the code in Hong Kong.

At the inaugural Annual General Meeting held on Saturday the 6th of December 2014 the first Hong Kong Rugby League board was established.

The inaugural Hong Kong Rugby League board consists of:

Chairman: James Hall
Secretary: Ray Meli
Treasurer: Ian Molyneux
Board Member: Brad Newman
Board Member: Jason Fairleigh
Board Member: Jack Muir
Board Member: Malcolm Pratt
Board Member: Daniel Mascord

In early 2015 the HKRL board will work hard to establish Rugby League by organising a wide ranging fixture list which will include international matches with the Hong Kong Thunder as well as local representative, domestic, junior, school and touch football.

"We are very excited as a group about giving Rugby League a presence here in Hong Kong. We have put together a board of talented and most importantly enthusiastic people who can push the sport forward in Hong Kong." said inaugural HKRL Chairman James Hall.

"Our hopes for the future are high with regards to getting both adults and juniors playing Rugby League in and for this exciting country. Looking further down the road we can see Hong Kong, with it's geographical positioning, being a venue of great interest to the global Rugby League community."

"If you have any interest in playing, supporting or volunteering then please get in touch as we have some exciting plans in place for 2015."

The Hong Kong Rugby League is honoured to be the custodians of the great game in Hong Kong and will use their passion and experience to take Rugby League to great heights in Hong Kong and internationally, especially with our Asian neighbours.

Further announcements about the Hong Kong Rugby League will be made in the coming weeks.

To find out more or to get involved, please visit the website at www.hongkongrugbyleague.com or on Facebook at www.facebook.com/hkrugbyleague or email on info@hongkongrugbyleague.com
 
Video about RL in HK. Im not in it, I was sick hah.

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Hong Kong Rugby League - Future is bright!

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Hong Kong is a small island nation off the south coast of the People’s Republic of China. Although small, it has a population of over 7 million people and is considered one of the Economic epicentres of Asia, if not the world! It is known for its big skyline buildings, deep harbour, home of Martial Arts legend Bruce Lee and thousands of businesses from around the globe. It has also hosted many international sporting events such as the IRB Rugby 7s, East Asian Games, Olympics, Tennis and Football tournaments.

Thanks to mainly ex-pats living on the small Asian Island, Rugby League is beginning to come to life. I got into communication with Brad Newman, an Australian currently living and working in Hong Kong who is helping Rugby League develop.

How it began

Rugby League has been popular on the island for a while now due to a large amount of UK, New Zealand and Australian expats. The problem had been that there has never been an official organisation or competition to help kick start the sport. In 2014, a Facebook page was created to help promote starting Rugby League in Hong Kong. After a few get togethers during the 2014 Four Nations tournament between interested parties, the concept was immediately created. Plans were made to have a meeting in early December to officially start an organisation of progressing the sport in the nation. From this meeting, the Hong Kong Rugby League organisation was established.

Hong Kong Rugby League at Present

Currently, Brad and the HKRL run social touch games every Monday night. They are hoping to turn it into a competition and create both Touch and Tag Rugby League which will become important tools for Rugby League development. Although a 13 a side format has not been established yet, they are hoping on Anzac Day (25th of April) to have an Open Day for interested players. There are also plans for school boy rugby league, kid’s clinics and a Nines tournament during the event.

Social events are key with HKRL plans as well. During the Auckland 9s, a bar in Wan Chai was chosen so interested fans and supporters of the project to socialise with others to create a community. This way individuals don’t get home sick and it helps create a healthy social scene for all involved with the sport.

Representative Fixtures and Future plans

Just as Australia has its version of State of Origin, Hong Kong will have its own version as well. The game will be Hong Kong Islands vs Kowloon- New Territories and will be played at Victoria Harbour. It is hoped that this will gain attention for the sport and bring in new individuals to the game. A national team representing Hong Kong (Hong Kong Thunder) is pencilled in to take on another Asian nation, the opponents however have yet to be chosen. The Thunder name was chosen due to the massive storms and typhoons which batter Hong Kong and their colours will be red, white and black.

At the end of the year, the board will review how their first year went. A full-fledged domestic competition are also in the plans of the HKRL board. Brad feels the future is bright for the game in HK because many players, volunteers, coaches and referees have put their hands up to help expand Rugby League in the tiny island nation. His comments couldn’t be truer because with Rugby League expanding across the Asian continent and the Asian-Pacific Federation supporting International Rugby League expansion, Hong Kong looks like it will have a big future a head of it both domestically and Internationally!

http://www.rugbyleagueplanet.com/ru.../2186-hong-kong-rugby-league-future-is-bright
 
HKRL is in the UK now with our Chairman James Hall and Secretary Ray Meli visiting for the World Club Series and to meet with British Rugby League officials!

They were also invited to have the honour of addressing the Rugby League Parliamentary Group!

James and Ray will soon arrive home in Hong Kong and will share with us a full report of their adventures.

It's safe to say our entry into the Rugby League world has been warmly welcomed and we are excited about the role we have to play in the future.

Hong Kong Rugby League aims to be an international player. We are delighted that James and Ray took the time and effort to show this with their current trip. Well done lads!

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We just ordered our jerseys for the upcoming Nines competition in April. I ordered some extras for myself as souvenirs.
 
HKRL WELCOMES JASON FAIRLEIGH WITH NEW COACHING APPOINTMENT

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Hong Kong Rugby League is pleased to announce our representative coach who will take charge of the Hong Kong Thunder in 2015. Jason Fairleigh has a wealth of playing and coaching experience mixed with a sincere love for the game. Jason comes from the Central Coast of NSW in Australia and from a Rugby League family with three older brothers who also played the game.

Jason has been in Hong Kong for over a decade and in the absence of Rugby League has been playing Rugby Union with the Typhoons club. Jason is excited to be taking a leading role in the future development of Rugby League in Hong Kong. He will also be supporting the HKRL Schools program drawing on his coaching and teaching experience.
HKRL Chairman James Hall is enthusiastic about the appointment.

“We are delighted to have Jason on board as the Head Coach of HKRL. He comes from a strong Rugby League background and has a wealth of experience to bring. As well as getting the Thunder team in shape for their Inaugural fixture later this year Jason will help prepare the teams who are entering this year’s HKRL 9s competition on 25 April.”

The HKRL will be hosting a special Open Day on the 25th of April which will showcase many forms of the game such as touch, tag and 9s. More details of this launch event will soon be announced.

If you would like to get involved in HKRL please email us on getinvolved@hongkongrugbyleague.com

GET TO KNOW OUR THUNDER COACH: JASON TREVOR FAIRLEIGH

“Born on the Central Coast in New South Wales, Australia, I began playing mini rugby league at the age of 5 for Ourimbah Wyoming Magpies. With 3 older brothers who also played, it was no surprise to my parents that I would!

I continued to play through primary and high school and on weekends, representing the Central Coast in rep games throughout my teens.

At the age of 17, I began to play First Grade Rugby League for Ourimbah Wyoming Magpies as 5/8 in which I played over 8 years of first grade. The opportunity to trial for a few Sydney based teams was lost due to 2 significant knee injuries, both requiring surgery and forced early retirement.

This opened the door into coaching junior teams at my local club and progressed onto coaching U17’s and U18’s levels with my greatest achievements including winning Premiership titles.

In 2005, I moved to Hong Kong, which I began playing for The Typhoons, after realising rugby league was not available.
Now that rugby league is here in Hong Kong I can see huge potential for our sport.”

http://www.hongkongrugbyleague.com/
 
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