Former England rugby sevens player sets up field, club in Pärnu County
A former top rugby player from the United Kingdom has built his own pitch in the village of Kirbla, Pärnu County, "Aktuaalne kaamera" reported.
Chris Hale, a former England sevens player, said he bought the land in question and hopes to one day assemble a full team in Kirbla.
"A few years back, I saw there was an auction online, a school had been closed and it was in two different parcels: You could look to buy the school, or the land. I thought, I'll look to buy the land. The land was big enough, a great size – I could fit a rugby field there."
The pitch is located close to the Risti-Virtsu highway adjacent to the former school in Kirbla, itself around 60 kilometers northwest of Pärnu.
Hale said he had been working for several years in creating the 106-meter-long, 64-meter-wide field, and had worked all summer on it, with just the signature H-shaped goalposts to go.
"We're having the rugby posts made in Kirbla, a local chap is building them for us, and as soon as we get them up, then we're good to go," Hale, who also runs a bikers shop and cafe in the village, noted.
Hale's career included playing both sevens and touch rugby at a high level.
"I had a great career. I started when I was eleven, I retired when I was 34. I've never played a game since. But then I went into coaching."
He has coached the Sons of Lazrus sevens team, based in northwest England, and is now hoping to replicate that in Kirbla.
"The next achievement is to get a team on the field. We've formed a club, Kirbla rugby club, so ultimately it will be a Kirbla team. Now, obviously not all the players can come from Kirbla because there's not enough people in Kirbla – probably barely enough to form a team," he went on.
"We'll take players from anywhere, but they'll represent Kirbla. This will take a few years," he added, noting that several local men had expressed an interest in training. Hale also actively showcases and promotes the sport to local schools.
The Kirbla rugby page is here.
There are two main codes of rugby, union rules, which involves 15 players a side, and Rugby League – 13 a side and with significant rules and organizational differences compared with union. Sevens is a variant of Rugby Union, and as its name suggests is played by seven-a-side teams.
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Editor: Andrew Whyte, Johanna Alvin
Source: "Aktuaalne kaamera"
