Junior Rugby Players Get Their ‘Field Of Dreams’
[Written by Don Burgess]
Police Field has received a facelift thanks to the unusual combination of rugby, a golf club and a WWE superstar.
The First Annual Beyond Rugby Golf Tournament takes place on Friday at the Mid Ocean Club. All of the money raised from this tournament will go to refurbishing Police Field for at risk school kids to play rugby on.
The Beyond Rugby programme is successful at helping keep at risk kids in Bermuda in school and on target to graduate by instilling within them core values.
John Layfield, a Beyond Rugby organizer and former WWE champ and FOX news commentator, told Bernews that the four ball tournament cost each team of the 18 teams $1,000. He added there will also be some items up for auction on Friday to raise additional funds.
Mr. Layfield said: “Mid Ocean has really stepped up. They have helped us as far as advice with fertilizer and the mowing schedule and other stuff like that.
He said the golf club couldn’t give any money towards the field but helped out with a 12-month plan on how to maintain the field.
“The advice was more important than the money,” Mr Layfield said. “They go down there regularly to make sure everything we’re doing is right and the field is now to the point where it is playable. It was unplayable about six months ago — it was pretty rotten.”
Mr Layfield was down to the field to mow it this past week and said: “I can’t believe the change… it’s hard to believe this was the dirty weed filled plot we started with months ago.”
The tournament was fully subscribed fairly quickly once individuals and companies in the community knew what the money was going towards.
“When people know that you are doing stuff for kids, you get a good response,” Mr Layfield said.
Looking forward to watching the youth rugby games and soccer down at the police field this year, the change in the field is remarkable and will stand all the sports clubs that use the field in good stead.