5,000 Girls, One Oval Ball: How Rugby Rising Is Rewriting Nigeria’s Sporting Story
In a country where football often dominates the conversation, a quiet revolution has been unfolding on school fields and dusty playgrounds across Nigeria, and it belongs to girls with a rugby ball in hand.
The Nigeria Rugby Football Federation (NRFF) has announced a major grassroots breakthrough, with more than 5,000 girls participating in its Rugby Rising programme, which concludes this weekend.
Launched in November and running for four months, the initiative delivered intensive rugby training sessions to young girls nationwide, significantly boosting female participation in the sport.
The programme was supervised by NRFF board member Hussain Wuraola and implemented by 30 coaches across the country, all operating in line with standards set by World Rugby.
Beyond the numbers, the impact has been cultural. Rugby Rising has taken the sport directly into schools and academies, breaking long-standing stereotypes and expanding acceptance of rugby among young girls, many of whom are engaging with the game for the first time.
Wuraola commended the dedication of the coaches, noting that their commitment helped push the game into previously unreached communities.
She expressed optimism that women’s rugby in Nigeria now stands on firmer ground, backed by a growing wave of interest and enthusiasm from the next generation.
With 5,000 girls now introduced to structured rugby training, the question is no longer whether women’s rugby can thrive in Nigeria, but how far this new momentum can carry it.
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