Ulster Rugby vs Glasgow

ULSTER RUGBY PROUD TO SUPPORT CARE DAY 2017

Ulster Rugby this week pledged its support for ‘National Care Day 2017’ which champions positive messages about children and young people in care or leaving care throughout the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Young people, staff and volunteers from charity partner, Include Youth, will take to the pitch this evening with the message ‘Proud to Support Young People in Care’. Paddy Mooney, Director at Include Youth, said: “Ulster Rugby’s staff, fans and team have really thrown their muscle behind our #CareDay activities this month and are helping us to raise awareness about our work with young people in, or leaving, care. From donating match tickets to the young people engaged in our projects for their home games, to featuring young people’s stories in the match night programmes throughout February.” Twenty-one-year-old Rico Letang, a care leaver from Belfast who featured in last Friday night’s match programme, is one of the young people attending the Glasgow Warriors match this evening. He said: “At school I participated in football, Gaelic, hurling and cross-country running but I’d love to try rugby. It’s always been

something I would like to do. I watch most Ireland games when they’re on TV, but I’m more of an All Blacks fan secretly. I’m definitely looking forward to the Ulster match, as it’ll be my first time watching a proper match at a stadium.” Fiona Hampton from Ulster Rugby said: “We’re very proud to be able to give these young people their first ever taste of a professional rugby match at Kingspan Stadium and make sure they know that Ulster Rugby and the wider rugby community will welcome them with open arms. “We know through our partnership with Include Youth that many young people who grow up in care miss out on being able to take part in sport due to an unsettled home life or multiple foster placements. “While we support Include Youth’s work all year round, we’re very proud to join with them and all the other individuals and organisations throughout the UK and Ireland to mark #CareDay 2017.”

#CareDay

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