Rugby in schools

who we are

Rugby has come a long way in the Lao PDR since it was reborn in the late 1990's. The Lao Rugby Federation now has associate International Rugby Board (IRB) Status, full membership of the Asian Rugby Football Union (ARFU) and most importantly, has been recognised by the National Sports Committee of the Lao PDR since May 2004.

Rugby began in Laos during the 1960s at the French army compound. By the early 70s, Lao players had started to join the teams. Before long, an unofficial national team was playing against teams from Thailand, Hong Kong and Sri Lanka. Changes in the country at this time meant rugby was forgotten until its renaissance in the 1990s. 

what we do

Since 2002, the Federation has been running a school programme to introduce rugby to as many school children as possible. We provide a safe, fun and challenging learning environment that allows children to enjoy the sport and take advantage of the unique development opportunities it offers. We also use peer rugby development officers, most of who have graduated through the school programme, as positive role models.

We currently work in five schools within Vientiane province and are working to expand this. Rugby Development Officers conduct weekly training sessions at each school and organise monthly Rugby Carnivals competition. A measure of the programme's success is that the current men and women's national teams are made up of a significant number of former school players. The same is true for senior clubs at the social level. 

Both the girls and boys have demonstrated great progress and show tremendous promise for the development of rugby in Laos. Funding is one of the few factors limiting the Federation's ability to expand this program. With more funding, more schools can be included and more children can participate in the sport.