On Saturday, Kingspan Stadium played host to Ireland’s biggest ever display of tag rugby for people with learning disabilities as over 400 players attended the 8th annual Wooden Spoon International Tag Rugby Festival.
Despite the poor weather for most of the day, 26 schools and clubs from around the UK and Ireland played at the revamped stadium, including 13 teams from Ulster - enjoyed the occasion. The local teams were: Ballymena Bears, Cedar Lodge (Belfast), Clare Hares (Ballyclare), Coleraine Chargers, Errigle Eagles (Letterkenny), Glenveagh School (Belfast), Harberton Seahorses (Belfast), Killard Cougars (Donaghadee), Newforge Taggers (Belfast), Now Project (Belfast), Portadown Panthers, Seaside Sharkies (Donaghadee), Stevenson Sharks (Dungannon).
Spectators were entertained throughout the day with live music and dancing, face painters and circus acts. The 6 Nations trophy, won by Ireland in March, was at Kingspan Stadium all day, allowing fans to pose for photos with the historic piece of silverware.
The festival represented another significant investment from children’s charity Wooden Spoon, which has contributed over £600,000 to projects that have benefitted disadvantaged or disabled children in Ulster. The Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure (DCAL), Belfast City Council and a number of local businesses also gave their backing to the event.
The IRFU (Ulster Branch would like to thanks all sponsors and volunteers for making the event such a success.To find out more about disability tag rugby, please contact Ulster Rugby's Disability & Inclusion Officer at Tim.Craig@ulsterrugby.com.