The Dog River Howlers Rugby Club are heading up a drive to to support the upstart rugby community in the war torn country of Afghanistan where the average anual income is some $600. We are looking to collect sets of playing strip, balls, boots and monetary donations to purchase some much needed rugby support "stuff ".
I've contacted the Canadian Armed Services in hopes that they will help transport this various rugby "stuff" we collect and purchase to Afghanistan for us.
Having said that if you and/or your club would like to support this endeavour with donations of money or rugby "stuff" please contact me at --- [email protected] or 306-535-0800 .
Please take the time to read some information about this new rugby community posted below.
This is an opportunity for the rugby fraternity to again show that "it's more than a game, it's a way of life" by supporting their rugby bothers and hopefully sisters.
Yours in rugby
Karl Fix - president of the Dog River Howlers Rugby Club - www.dogriverhowlers.com and Facebook -http://www.facebook.com/dogriverhowlers?fref=ts and youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq2CLUdzri8
============
Letter from Afghanistan Rugby Federation to Dog River Howlers Rugby Club
Dear Karl,
Thank you very much for your contact and for offering your help.
Just went through your club's website and you are really doing a great job for the development of rugby not only in Canada but in some other poor countries as well. Thanks for offering your help and I would like to as you for the as many balls and used kits as you can send, we have rugby clubs for all ages starting from 7 years and ending at 25 years and
above we will appreciate if you can send us the kits, jerseys, balls, shoes or any other stuff related to rugby since we are doing our best to spread this great game to a huge number of Afghans in country and it is a very clear fact that we are lacking kits and balls and if you are willing to help us with this it will be your kindness.
Asad Ziar
Chief Executive Officer
Afghanistan Rugby Federation
==========
Afghanistan Rugby Federation ( ARF ) Afghanistan Rugby Federation ( ARF )
About
-----
It is the official Federation for the sport of Afghan Rugby and is involved in educating, supporting and enabling young Afghans to excel and compete
Mission
In recent times, rugby has been reintroduced by foreign forces once more, being played amongst British, Australian, French, Canadian and even American troops in their forward operating bases where common Afghan people can’t watch them playing rugby and we could not witness any Afghans playing rugby.
Afghanistan Rugby Federation ( ARF ) officially launched rugby in Afghanistan on May 20, 2011 with the aim and intention that Rugby will soon be developed into a sport game. ARF is registered with National Olympic Committee and approved by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan Rugby Federation is in process of developing into a nation-wide organization which will certainly promote the game of rugby and the accompanying spirit of teamwork and fair competition in between all age-groups throughout Afghanistan emphasizing the young generation of Afghanistan. ARF is sure that rugby will only thrive if it becomes a game played by a large number of young generations.
ARF has a very result oriented plan in hand which is called “ Afghan School Rugby (ASR) by implementing this project ARF will be able to achieve a widespread popularity in Afghanistan by making it the number one playing sport game in the country. The ASR project really need sponsors and donors who are willing to help the young generation to avoid war and criminal activities and to be a healthy member of an Afghan family.
Since we understand by making the young generation busy in sport activities they won't have sufficient time for drug addiction and that they will be prevented from other criminal activities and that they won't be part of the fighting sides.
Description
---------
The Afghanistan Rugby Federation is affiliated with the National Olympic Committee, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan[citation needed]. It is the official Federation for the sport of Afghan Rugby and is involved in educating, supporting and enabling young Afghans to excel and compete internationally. In this way the Afghan Rugby Federation is helping to strengthen a sense of National pride and cohesion among talented young Afghans.
General Information
Afghanistan has indigenous sports which bear some resemblance to rugby football. One of these sport game is called Buzkashi, which has been compared to a cross between rugby and polo and uses a dead goat or sheep as the ball. The goal of a player is to grab the carcass of a headless goat or sheep and then get it clear of the other players and pitch it across the goal line or into a target circle or vat. The game has even been referred to as "Sheep Rugby" by the Society for Creative Anachronism since the 1970s.
The history of rugby in Afghanistan is an intermittent and discontinuous one, often played by invading armies. The game was first introduced into the country from British India and was played by British troops. After the British left Asia, the game died very soon in Afghanistan. By way of return, the British took polo back with them from the region.
During the Soviet Afghan War, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, only few sport games were played by Red Army troops which did not include Rugby at all.
Following cricket's lead
-------------------
Afghanistan has developed a reputation for its cricket after winning the World Cricket League Division 3 tournament in 2009 and qualifying for the Twenty20 World Cup. Although cricket is still a relatively new sport in Afghanistan, it is increasing in popularity and now players hope the same will happen for rugby.
It is clear rugby is getting more popular not only in Afghanistan but in Asia which has seen a recent surge of interest from the Middle East and the Islamic world. Dubai has built a specialised academy for rugby players and now hosts tournaments, while unions have been set up in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Qatar.
Afghanistan’s international side may not have showed particularly well at the third and final leg of the HSBC Asian Rugby 7s in October, in Mumbai, but momentum is building, and the game is developing. This is being done by promoting club rugby and by showing the world Afghans have the best physiques for playing and are not simply a struggling nation.
The Afghan people have started to worry about what will happen when NATO departs but the Afghanistan Rugby Federation is optimistic that attitudes towards rugby will remain strong and that each province will continue to develop the sport.
It has been said that in the absence of war, society looks to sport to fulfill its combative nature. However, the relationship between war and sport goes far beyond the similarities of winning and losing. In fact, sport and war has throughout history proved to have a much more symbiotic relationship.
With very limited resources, the Afghanistan Rugby Federation does face problems but is as ever committed to taking this great game of sport and introducing it to every Afghan.
I've contacted the Canadian Armed Services in hopes that they will help transport this various rugby "stuff" we collect and purchase to Afghanistan for us.
Having said that if you and/or your club would like to support this endeavour with donations of money or rugby "stuff" please contact me at --- [email protected] or 306-535-0800 .
Please take the time to read some information about this new rugby community posted below.
This is an opportunity for the rugby fraternity to again show that "it's more than a game, it's a way of life" by supporting their rugby bothers and hopefully sisters.
Yours in rugby
Karl Fix - president of the Dog River Howlers Rugby Club - www.dogriverhowlers.com and Facebook -http://www.facebook.com/dogriverhowlers?fref=ts and youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cq2CLUdzri8
============
Letter from Afghanistan Rugby Federation to Dog River Howlers Rugby Club
Dear Karl,
Thank you very much for your contact and for offering your help.
Just went through your club's website and you are really doing a great job for the development of rugby not only in Canada but in some other poor countries as well. Thanks for offering your help and I would like to as you for the as many balls and used kits as you can send, we have rugby clubs for all ages starting from 7 years and ending at 25 years and
above we will appreciate if you can send us the kits, jerseys, balls, shoes or any other stuff related to rugby since we are doing our best to spread this great game to a huge number of Afghans in country and it is a very clear fact that we are lacking kits and balls and if you are willing to help us with this it will be your kindness.
Asad Ziar
Chief Executive Officer
Afghanistan Rugby Federation
==========
Afghanistan Rugby Federation ( ARF ) Afghanistan Rugby Federation ( ARF )
About
-----
It is the official Federation for the sport of Afghan Rugby and is involved in educating, supporting and enabling young Afghans to excel and compete
Mission
In recent times, rugby has been reintroduced by foreign forces once more, being played amongst British, Australian, French, Canadian and even American troops in their forward operating bases where common Afghan people can’t watch them playing rugby and we could not witness any Afghans playing rugby.
Afghanistan Rugby Federation ( ARF ) officially launched rugby in Afghanistan on May 20, 2011 with the aim and intention that Rugby will soon be developed into a sport game. ARF is registered with National Olympic Committee and approved by the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan.
Afghanistan Rugby Federation is in process of developing into a nation-wide organization which will certainly promote the game of rugby and the accompanying spirit of teamwork and fair competition in between all age-groups throughout Afghanistan emphasizing the young generation of Afghanistan. ARF is sure that rugby will only thrive if it becomes a game played by a large number of young generations.
ARF has a very result oriented plan in hand which is called “ Afghan School Rugby (ASR) by implementing this project ARF will be able to achieve a widespread popularity in Afghanistan by making it the number one playing sport game in the country. The ASR project really need sponsors and donors who are willing to help the young generation to avoid war and criminal activities and to be a healthy member of an Afghan family.
Since we understand by making the young generation busy in sport activities they won't have sufficient time for drug addiction and that they will be prevented from other criminal activities and that they won't be part of the fighting sides.
Description
---------
The Afghanistan Rugby Federation is affiliated with the National Olympic Committee, Islamic Republic of Afghanistan[citation needed]. It is the official Federation for the sport of Afghan Rugby and is involved in educating, supporting and enabling young Afghans to excel and compete internationally. In this way the Afghan Rugby Federation is helping to strengthen a sense of National pride and cohesion among talented young Afghans.
General Information
Afghanistan has indigenous sports which bear some resemblance to rugby football. One of these sport game is called Buzkashi, which has been compared to a cross between rugby and polo and uses a dead goat or sheep as the ball. The goal of a player is to grab the carcass of a headless goat or sheep and then get it clear of the other players and pitch it across the goal line or into a target circle or vat. The game has even been referred to as "Sheep Rugby" by the Society for Creative Anachronism since the 1970s.
The history of rugby in Afghanistan is an intermittent and discontinuous one, often played by invading armies. The game was first introduced into the country from British India and was played by British troops. After the British left Asia, the game died very soon in Afghanistan. By way of return, the British took polo back with them from the region.
During the Soviet Afghan War, when the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, only few sport games were played by Red Army troops which did not include Rugby at all.
Following cricket's lead
-------------------
Afghanistan has developed a reputation for its cricket after winning the World Cricket League Division 3 tournament in 2009 and qualifying for the Twenty20 World Cup. Although cricket is still a relatively new sport in Afghanistan, it is increasing in popularity and now players hope the same will happen for rugby.
It is clear rugby is getting more popular not only in Afghanistan but in Asia which has seen a recent surge of interest from the Middle East and the Islamic world. Dubai has built a specialised academy for rugby players and now hosts tournaments, while unions have been set up in the United Arab Emirates, Lebanon and Qatar.
Afghanistan’s international side may not have showed particularly well at the third and final leg of the HSBC Asian Rugby 7s in October, in Mumbai, but momentum is building, and the game is developing. This is being done by promoting club rugby and by showing the world Afghans have the best physiques for playing and are not simply a struggling nation.
The Afghan people have started to worry about what will happen when NATO departs but the Afghanistan Rugby Federation is optimistic that attitudes towards rugby will remain strong and that each province will continue to develop the sport.
It has been said that in the absence of war, society looks to sport to fulfill its combative nature. However, the relationship between war and sport goes far beyond the similarities of winning and losing. In fact, sport and war has throughout history proved to have a much more symbiotic relationship.
With very limited resources, the Afghanistan Rugby Federation does face problems but is as ever committed to taking this great game of sport and introducing it to every Afghan.
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