London Nigerian rugby club in race for survival

By Ifeanyi Ibeh


The London Nigerian Rugby Football Club, a club which has become a hub for the Nigerian community in London, England, faces a race against time to secure its future.


The club, which celebrates its 20th anniversary next year, has been given a two-week ultimatum by the Fulham & Hammersmith Council to raise £19,000 or be evicted from its clubhouse at the Linford Christie Stadium, Du Cane Road, London.

Other than serving as a meeting point for London Nigerian players, the clubhouse also hosts non-rugby-related activities, especially among Nigerians living in the English capital as it regularly hosts events for CANUK (Central Association of Nigerians in the UK), ICSN (Igbo Cultural Support Network), as well as charity sporting events such as the annual five-a-side football tournament in aid of the Nigerian Society for the Blind.

So the closure of the clubhouse would be a blow to the club and the local community.

"We have been privileged to call the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham home since 1999 and we have developed an affinity for this borough," said the club's CEO Osahon Omokhodion.

"We have always looked to try and reach out to the local community spreading the rugby gospel to local schools. Myself and my committee are doing everything physically possible to meet the council's deadline so that we can really kick into growth mode in this our 20th anniversary year and emerge from these difficult times ready for another 10 years in this great borough."

Phenomenal start

London Nigerian was a phenomenon when it started, securing eight league promotions in its first decade of existence.

But recent years have seen the club struggle both on and off the pitch, with the credit crunch taking its toll on the club's abilities to meet its financial obligations.

Now, the club's players - affectionately dubbed the ‘Playas' - are rallying together to find the money to save their club.

At its peak, London Nigerian also provided a vital service to the local community through its Mini & Youth rugby programme running weekly training sessions for youngsters in the Borough while putting out seven teams in the U12, U13, U15 and U18 age groups. LNRFC also sent its coaches to 12 local schools to provide in-term rugby facilities.

The club has also organised rugby clinics in Nigeria for players and coaches; the most recent being in 2009 when the club's head coach Roger Coombs, a former handler of the England U-23 side, organized clinics in Lagos, Warri and Port Harcourt.

The club's newly elected committee has stated that one of its major aims is to re-launch the Mini & Youth programme in the 2010-11 season in conjunction with a strong recruitment drive to replenish the ageing senior squad.

Losing the use of the clubhouse at the stadium will however curtail London Nigerian's abilities to kick-start the programme.