World Rugby Training & Education Centre opens at Qingdao Experimental High School, Shandong, China

World Rugby, Qingdao City Education Bureau, Qingdao Rugby Association & Qingdao Sharks, unveiled the World Rugby Training & Education Centre at Qingdao Experimental High School in Chenyang District, Qingdao, Shandong, China.

Local QD TV Channel 4 and print media were on site to provide coverage of the event which will see World Rugby Get Into Rugby (GIR) programmes (TRY/PLAY/STAY) and the full suite of World Rugby’s Training & Education courses being run at the new Training & Education Centre.

Qingdao Experimental High School boasts of a brand new state of the art facility that has a full sized artificial pitch, indoor gymnasium, indoor swimming pool and full boarding facilities. The school has also been the track & field champions in Qingdao for the last 22 years. All 2000 students in the school will attend GIR training sessions as it will be a part of the schools physical education curriculum. There are also plans to start interclass tournaments once the players are ready.

“Rugby is a global sport and we are very pleased to be a part of the global rugby fraternity. This is an important milestone for Qingdao Experimental High School, as we believe that Training & Education will be key to increasing the quality of Rugby. Rugby also provides a great opportunity for our students who wish to further their education overseas as they will be able to participate in a globally recognised sport.” Mr. Sun
Principal – Qingdao Experimental High School, Qingdao, China

“Rugby is growing in China, and the Qingdao Sharks are proud to be able to help the CRFA & World Rugby develop and grow the Game!”
Ms. Wang – General Manager Qingdao Sharks

“ Since the inclusion of Rugby at the Rio Summer Olympics, Rugby in China has grown at a phenomenal rate. In 2016, a total of 60,000 new participants were introduced to Rugby. Given the massive growth, there is a need to ensure infrastructures are in place to retain these players.

We are working closely with local partners on building infrastructures and pathways to further promote and recruit players. Through World Rugby’s Get Into Rugby, Training & Education programmes and agreements with local education & sports bureaus, we believe we can achieve this.

World Rugby works closely with the Chinese Rugby Football Association to develop the game across China. The total number of registered players & stakeholders in China at the end of 2016 was close to 150,000. We are targeting an annual 30% to 40% growth rate across China for the next few years.

The Asia Rugby 1 Million (new players by 2020) project funded by Asia Rugby has also provided much needed additional funding for manpower & equipment which has boosted the local workforce.