WARRINGTON’S Beth Simpson, daughter of European Parliamentary member Brian, has just completed a two-week trip to Lebanon where she made quite an impression on their rugby league community. Here, Beth, a community coach with Warrington Wolves, gives an insight into the work going on to develop the game outside of its more widely recognised boundaries.

Q:

What are your links with rugby league?

A:

I started playing when I was four, stopped at 15 and started coaching. From 16 I began working for the Wolves and I specialise in coaching children of all ages.

Q:

How did your visit to Lebanon come about?

A:

I was doing an international aid course in England, a part of which entailed travelling to a foreign country and helping with some form of development. I chose Lebanon as I knew there was rugby league out there.

Q:

What are your impressions of the country?

A:

It’s beautiful, much more beautiful than I imagined. I didn’t really have any preconceptions but whatever I thought it would be, it was more!

Q:

What work did you do with the Lebanese Rugby League?

A:

I visited lots of schools to conduct some coaching sessions, meet the players, the school teachers and various officials. I also attended all the training sessions of the five clubs that participate in the ‘Bank of Beirut Championship’, as well as the recent under 16s national training camps. Also, I watched a couple of league matches. It was a busy two weeks.

Q:

What is your analysis of rugby league in Lebanon?

A:

Mainly that it’s very well organised and much more developed than I thought. The league structure, the playing standard, how well the LRLC has gained a significant presence in the university and schools systems, were stand-outs. Their coaching structure is good, especially the project of developing school teachers as coaches.

Q:

What was your overriding impression?

A:

The genuine passion. Everyone is so enthusiastic, from the players through the management to the board. It was eye-opening to see just how many hoops the LRLC has to jump through to get things done. The amount of bureaucracy they have to contend with from the sports and education ministries really jolted me as we don’t have such difficulties in England. Finally, I was impressed with how some of the clubs and schools manage with some basic facilities.”

Q:

What will be the legacy of your trip?

A:

I intend to use my experiences to show people what a dynamic development project Lebanon has fostered. I plan to send over a number of kits for the schools ahead of Lebanon’s national schools championship in October. Also, Warrington Wolves and the Rugby League European Federation will work on setting up a player-exchange programme.