Lanna Rugby Club, based in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, has been featured in Rugby World magazine. The ‘Lanna from Heaven’ article by Alan Pearey appears in the magazine’s Grass Roots section and tells the story of the club using rugby to open doors for children and young people. We are proud that The Atlas Foundation plays a part in the Lanna Rugby Club story.
From a few, to a club
Founded in 2018 by expat Tom Stubly, the work of Lanna Rugby Club has grown exponentially in 8 years of activity.
The club’s director of rugby, Matt Hirst, a teacher and coach from Newcastle, arrived in the midst of Covid. Rugby had stopped in Thailand, with only 7 people turning up to the first session.
Today, the club runs men’s, women’s, boys’, and girls’ teams from under 18s to under 8s. Many of the players are new to the sport, but that does not hinder their success.
Inclusion at the centre
The club’s identity rests on fun, family, unity and leaving no one behind. Its kids programme works by reaching children from disadvantaged backgrounds through local organisations such as Kids Ark and the Baan Dek Foundation. Some children are from migrant families who fled the civil war in Myanmar.
Many of the children are stateless, which automatically limits their access to education, healthcare and the chance to travel. The article highlights the story of Ning, a young player who was named Player of the Tournament at the North Sevens and called up to the Thai national U16 team. With the support of the Thai Rugby Union, she was able to obtain a birth certificate, an identity card and finally, a Thai passport.
Partnership with Atlas
Within the article, Matt highlights how the partnership with The Atlas Foundation has helped Lanna grow. Fundraising supports coaching courses, boots, gumshields, and all other forms of kits. The programme has been able to expand from 45 children to 107.
Rugby world commented that rugby was ‘in safe hands’ in this corner of northern Thailand, we couldn’t agree more.
