Ghana Skolars RLC and Athens Raiders RLFC are delighted to announce that a partnership has been agreed between the two clubs from the 2020-2021 seasons.
Both clubs share a lot of similarities as they are newly formed, Ghana Skolars in 2018 and Athens Raiders in 2019 and both of them are located in the Capital City of their Countries. Moreover, the family ethos running through the veins of both organizations is the crucial link that forged this partnership.
The clubs will share knowledge in the following areas:
- Training environment and game day preparations
- Coaching information resources
- Operations & Logistics
- Sponsorship & Marketing
- Digital content & social media
We share the same values in terms of sustainable development strategy and both clubs are heavily linked with their respective communities. Moreover, coming from emerging Nations like Ghana and Greece, it is very important to associate with clubs that come from a similar social environment where inclusion, women’s participation, respect of differentiation is fundamental to them as they are for Ghana Skolars. We hope that this partnership will assist Ghana Skolars and Athens Raiders to improve their structure and maximize opportunities for information exchange at a grassroots level.
Ghana and Greece are driving forces in the EMEA region with a lot of activities taking place in the last few years. I am sure that this partnership will further enhance Rugby League’s growth in our region.” Skolars Club director Riddick Alibah further adds: “This is a great feat worth celebrating since this is not just a win for the two clubs thus Skolars and Athens Raiders but a win for our respective countries and the Rugby League Fraternity in general. Rugby league is inching into global growth and a partnership like this truly bridges gaps and puts the sport a step closer to gaining global status. We believe strongly this and many more partnerships to come will not only help increase the technical know-how and knowledge sharing but will attract brands for our clubs and other growing clubs as well. We hope for greater prospects and a well solidified bond between our clubs. Skolars is strongly built on family and community and with this partnership we can boldly say we have a family in Greece and that family is the Athens Raiders. I personally appreciate the efforts of Chris in helping make this happen. Together we will be stronger, bigger and greater and together we will all let out a strong chant “We don’t break, we break”
Racheal Ankomah the team Manager for Skolars also added “This is the kind of bond that makes players excited to be part of the number 1 club Rugby club in Ghana. We hope this brings about enormous growth for both clubs. As Athens have a solid women’s team, we hope to learn a lot to help build our women’s team as well”
William Biney, an instrumental player in the Skolars team also added: “The family just got bigger and better. The whole team is excited to have siblings on the other side of the world to share inept knowledge on the greatest game we all love”.
Athens Raiders’ Head Coach, Christos Mouzakitis, explained, “This is the first partnership of several which will be announced over the coming weeks. We were following Skolars progress from the very beginning and it is outstanding what Riddick Alibah and the rest of the team have accomplished in such demanding times.
Raiders’ Technical Advisor, Stuart McLennan, also added, “For Rugby league to become a truly global sport we need to share our knowledge and experiences. It is a code that has no borders or boundaries.”
This partnership will not only assist the development of both Athens Raiders and Ghana Skolars, it creates a precedent for further relationships between clubs involved with developing the greatest game of all. Ghana Skolars should be commended for their forward thinking approach to development that will benefit the men and women wearing the green jumper.”
