A record is going to be set up in Istanbul with over 40 delegates, representing 23 national Federations who are going to be part of the RLEF Congress which is going to be held this weekend (May 18th/19th) in Istanbul (Turkey) who is hosting the annual get-together for the first time.
RLEF general manager Chris Thair is looking forward to the gathering and event. “There is a vibrancy in international rugby league at present highlighted this weekend,” he said. “Turkey recently became an RLEF affiliate member and have shown tremendous growth in recent years, it is fitting they share the spotlight.”
Thair added: “The representation will include the largest-ever gathering from the Middle East and Africa region, ahead of this year’s MEA Championships in October in Nigeria. Our role is to ensure growth of the sport, the development of the federations and deliver some of the best international competitions. This kind of face-to-face networking ensures international rugby league runs increasingly smoothly, more games are arranged and the increasing number of members assist one another. ”
“Rugby League is growing, we should be positive about this trend, especially knowing the people involved and I’m confident about the future. We have some exciting announcements to make at Congress.”
The two-day meeting will also see the first-ever international played by the Turkish women’s team when they face Italy on Saturday evening at the Baylerbeyi Stadium, Istanbul (kick off 6pm).
This is the third consecutive year that the RLEF Congress is held on the Balkan Peninsula. The previous two years the host of the RLEF Congress was SRLF in Belgrade.
Source: RLEF
