Date: 19/5/14
AS the sporting world casts an eye towards Brazil for the staging of the FIFA World Cup, a group of rugby league diehards will look to do the seemingly impossible – introduce their own brand of football to Latin America.
And there’s a way you can help the ambitious crusaders ‘grow’ the balls to do it!
Via crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, the not-for-profit Latin Heat Rugby League side has 30 days to raise $10,000 and send 1000 specially-made rugby league development balls to 24 Latino nations.
Various rewards exist for differing levels of support, from individual to corporate backing.
Watch the groundbreaking project video here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/374900056/latin-american-rugby-league-development-kits
The rugby league balls will be accompanied by instructional DVDs to help coach the skills of the game in Spanish and Portuguese, delivered by trusted enthusiasts in major cities.
Currently Latin America, home to 600 million people, is the last inhabited continent without regular domestic rugby league competitions.
The Latin Heat – a Latino-heritage side comprised mainly of Australian residents to promote the code – has two major on-field events in coming weeks.
On Saturday, May 31 they will stage the inaugural Copa de Rugby XIII at Norford Park, Sefton, in Sydney. The tournament will pit all the individual nations of Latin America against each other in non-contact ‘tag’ rules and welcomes all levels of ability.
The following day, Sunday, June 1, at 1pm the Latin Heat’s elite men’s squad will face the Thailand Stars under full international rules at Windsor Sports Complex, Windsor, west of Sydney.
