Rugby emerges as vehicle to drive community bonding, develop youth leadership in Goa

Panaji: With rugby’s popularity quickly picking up pace in the state, the sport has emerged as a vehicle for community bonding and for bringing schools and colleges together. Brandon Crasto, Founder of Goa 7s and President of Crocotryles Rugby Foundation, said that rugby has the potential to develop future leadership in the state.

“There is a lot that rugby can do in terms of growing the sport in the community itself. Through the Crocotryles Rugby Foundation, we do a lot of grassroots development in Goa. We visit about 20–25 schools every season where we reach out to more than 10,000 in a year. We have international players and coaches and we give them a taste of the sport. We show what rugby could unlock in terms of potential for them, what future they have from playing at the club level to the state and the country, which can make their nation proud, as well as their parents and families,” said Crasto.

“Rugby can do a lot for the future generation of Goa, and we are working to give exposure to the kids and the community. The young generation are getting distracted by different things such as phones and vices; rugby can provide an outlet for creating future leaders and developing them both physically and mentally,” he added.

Ryan Gaulstan, Training and Education Manager, Rugby India, emphasised the importance of using education to further the sport.

“Training in education is a very important vertical for Rugby India. Through this vertical, we empower the states and union territories to build their workforce of qualified professionals, coaches, medics, match officials, strength and conditioning coaches, and that is one of the reasons why we are in Goa — to empower the Crocotryles Foundation, who will give back to their state and contribute to the sport of rugby.”

During his two-week stay in Goa, Michael Blatteis, who hails from Cali, USA and is a Philippines 7s International Player, praised the efforts in reaching out to youngsters in schools.

“The goal of the Crocotryles Foundation is to expand rugby in Goa. We started coaching and we would go to the local schools here and teach the kids simple rugby drills. Through the foundation, we were able to see the different schools. You can see how these kids are raised. They have good character and manners, and a lot of it has to do with how they are raised with sports as a foundation in their education,” he said.

“You can see sports being introduced at an early age. It develops them into natural leaders, with good teamwork and team spirit. You can see them progress not only as humans but also as professionals. Regardless of whether they make it far in the sport, they actually attempt to go far with something, and you see them develop more than just as humans. Rugby is a fabulous sport and we want it to grow, and eventually we want to see rugby in all schools around Goa.”

Collaborative efforts through education could even boost ties between Australia and Goa.

A special jersey exchange took place in the presence of Crasto and Samaka Isaacs, ex-student of Oakhill College, Australia.

Murry Fisher, current Sports Headmaster, graciously gifted their team short jerseys and socks as a gesture of support towards the Crocotryles Foundation, said Isaacs.

“This exchange symbolises community bonding and helps spread the core values of the La Sallian spirit — solidarity, compassion, and sportsmanship. As a former student of Oakhill College, I am really proud of the school and the achievements and the community that we have built, and hopefully we can extend that over here and create some sort of partnership where eventually we can bring a team down,” Isaacs remarked.