Rugby League Coach wins prestigious award
3rd of May 2012
Rugby League Coach Pierre Aghabala beat off competition from 99 other candidates from across London to win the Coach of the Year honour at the coveted Pro-Active London Awards on Friday night.
The South London Community Rugby League Coach was nominated for his exceptional work developing the sport in South London including his coaching within the schools and colleges programme as well as his involvement with London Broncos scholarship.
He has also been responsible for some outstanding work with the Brixton Bulls and Croydon Hurricanes clubs, overseeing rapid growth at Croydon Hurricanes club and registering 65 new players at Under-12s level in the last two years.
Pierre Aghabala said: “I was over the moon to win the award; it shows I must be doing something right, I was flattered to be put forward as I didn’t think I was doing anything different from all the other coaches in London.
“The lads are doing well and we have a number on performance pathways but much of the credit needs to go to the parents and volunteers behind the scenes who make us look good.
“At Croydon we had 52 players across three age groups last year which has grown to 112 players across five age groups in 2012.
“There’s lots of competition with football and basketball in the area but we’ve got lots of players coming across because of the player pathway, if you’re good at Rugby League you can go far
“There are also role models out there such as Lamont Bryan who is now playing professional Rugby League with London Broncos.
“We’re looking to grow the sport steadily and slowly and continue this sustainable growth, the quality and talent is there and there are definitely big things on the horizon for Rugby League in the area.
“There’s a great set-up for the sport in London, its top quality and I’ve had some great mentors in Rugby League.”
Dan Steel, London Regional Manager, said: “On behalf of the RFL I’d like to congratulate Pierre on his award, it’s a reflection of the great efforts in developing the sport of Rugby League by Pierre and the whole team of Coaches and Volunteers at Croydon Hurricanes.”
“This is a great indicator of the standard of Coach we have operating in the London Junior League, and this certainly bodes well for the future of the sport in the capital.”
For more information on London Rugby League visit: www.londonrugbyleague.co.uk or follow @LondonRL on Twitter.
The South London Community Rugby League Coach was nominated for his exceptional work developing the sport in South London including his coaching within the schools and colleges programme as well as his involvement with London Broncos scholarship.
He has also been responsible for some outstanding work with the Brixton Bulls and Croydon Hurricanes clubs, overseeing rapid growth at Croydon Hurricanes club and registering 65 new players at Under-12s level in the last two years.
Pierre Aghabala said: “I was over the moon to win the award; it shows I must be doing something right, I was flattered to be put forward as I didn’t think I was doing anything different from all the other coaches in London.
“The lads are doing well and we have a number on performance pathways but much of the credit needs to go to the parents and volunteers behind the scenes who make us look good.
“At Croydon we had 52 players across three age groups last year which has grown to 112 players across five age groups in 2012.
“There’s lots of competition with football and basketball in the area but we’ve got lots of players coming across because of the player pathway, if you’re good at Rugby League you can go far
“There are also role models out there such as Lamont Bryan who is now playing professional Rugby League with London Broncos.
“We’re looking to grow the sport steadily and slowly and continue this sustainable growth, the quality and talent is there and there are definitely big things on the horizon for Rugby League in the area.
“There’s a great set-up for the sport in London, its top quality and I’ve had some great mentors in Rugby League.”
Dan Steel, London Regional Manager, said: “On behalf of the RFL I’d like to congratulate Pierre on his award, it’s a reflection of the great efforts in developing the sport of Rugby League by Pierre and the whole team of Coaches and Volunteers at Croydon Hurricanes.”
“This is a great indicator of the standard of Coach we have operating in the London Junior League, and this certainly bodes well for the future of the sport in the capital.”
For more information on London Rugby League visit: www.londonrugbyleague.co.uk or follow @LondonRL on Twitter.
