Warriors’ Under-16s player Cheick Kone is one of four inspiring youngsters who have been shortlisted for Premiership Rugby’s PLAY Achiever of the Year award supported by Gallagher.
Kone was born in Ivory Coast and had no previous knowledge of rugby before he moved to England.
But after attending a Project Rugby session he is now a regular player for Wolverhampton Rugby Club and now part of Warriors’ Under-16 Academy having demonstrated his ability.
He has also had the opportunity to go to Wellington College for the England U16 festival. Cheick is now calmer, more positive about his future and has settled down in school with his academic studies.
The Premiership Rugby Parliamentary Community Awards take place at the House of Commons on Wednesday July 17 and a specially-selected panel have already faced the daunting task of whittling down the nominations to a final four for the prestigious gong – which rewards a participant who has excelled in any programme that introduces rugby to new audiences.
Every year hundreds of people up and down the country give their time to help run Premiership Rugby initiatives such as – but not limited to – HITZ, Project Rugby, Tackling Health and Move Like A Pro.
The PLAY Achiever of the Year Award recognises those who have overcome physical, cultural or social barriers to become involved in the game whilst embodying the spirit of the PLAY campaign.
According to judge Victoria Partridge, Marketing Director, Brand & Partnerships at Gallagher, the competition has never been higher.
“This was an incredibly difficult award to judge,” she said. “Every single person shortlisted has had to overcome personal issues and their effort to conquer these barriers is inspiring.
“In each case, rugby made a difference to their success and helped them to face their future with confidence. They all absolutely deserve to be recognised.”
To read more about Premiership Rugby’s community programmes, please visit www.premiershiprugby.com/in-the-community while you can join in the conversation via the hashtag #ImproveAMillionLives