Clubs told to look towards Africa – and Africans in UK – for new talent

SUPER LEAGUE clubs person been told to not look Stateside and acceptable their sights connected Africa alternatively – adjacent Africans connected their doorstep.

For not lone are determination caller fanbases waiting to beryllium tapped into, determination are countless players acceptable to beryllium snapped up – men and women.

And SunSport tin uncover it is hoped 5 of Nigeria’s women’s squad looking to marque the World Cup nexus up with English sides adjacent year.

Former subordinate Ade Adebisi, starring Nigeria Rugby League, is down the propulsion towards Africa and believes a wealthiness of stars is waiting to beryllium unearthed.

He feels Wigan facing Warrington on with England’s women taking connected Australia’s Jillaroos successful Las Vegas connected March 1 is looking successful the incorrect area.

The ex-London Broncos and Hull FC prima said: “They accidental North America, I don’t deliberation so.

“Look astatine the improvement that’s happened successful Africa, that’s the adjacent large happening for rugby league.

“Nigeria unsocial has 200 cardinal radical and Super League clubs are forgetting, the biggest African colonisation successful England is Nigerian.

“Salford’s concern with Ghana is however a Super League squad should bash it. Salford mean to bash it. We’re looking for others similar them.

“They bash a batch of associated events and prosecute with the Ghanaian community. If they continue, it won’t beryllium agelong until they commencement getting African players.

“If it’s done properly, ideate what could happen. The enactment it could bring to clubs, and caller fans who’d beryllium funny successful football, could beryllium big.

“And determination are players already – similar Junior Nsemba (Cameroon) and Kruise Leeming (Eswatini) – who person African links. There’s a cardinal of those players successful Africa.

“It’s conscionable astir getting chances for African players successful the UK. Once that happens, determination volition beryllium a large alteration of recruitment successful Super League.

“We could get to the level of Tongans oregon Samoans. African players person amended fittingness levels excessively – it needs committedness from some clubs and players.”

The archetypal motion of rugby league taking clasp successful Africa is Nigeria’s women reaching adjacent year’s World Series, astatine which they look Ireland, Fiji and Canada for the remaining spot astatine the 2026 World Cup.

But Adebisi wants more. He is aiming to get the state a beingness successful the Women’s Super League.

He added: “My absorption is getting astatine slightest 5 girls to the UK adjacent twelvemonth to play successful the league.

“Nigeria’s full squad has a combined 10 years’ acquisition successful rugby, 4 oregon 5 successful rugby league. So I request to hole them arsenic good arsenic possible.

“It’s a truly large opportunity. They’ve done that successful the abstraction of 3 years. Imagine what they tin bash with immoderate due rugby league grooming and immoderate bully absorption – they’ll beryllium unstoppable.

“You can’t manager strength, you can’t manager velocity but the remainder tin beryllium and clubs tin say, ‘We were portion of Nigeria making the Rugby League World Cup.’

“We’ve ne'er had an African federation successful that before, men’s oregon women’s. The improvement is huge. We’re looking at, from adjacent year, streaming each our games.

“Interest has risen hugely. Interest from sponsors, involvement successful information – mode earlier each this, we were putting our hands successful our pouch to money what we were doing.

“We did that for 4 oregon 5 years but we’re getting determination now. It’s been a pugnacious journey, don’t get maine wrong.”