Bolton Rugby Club, sponsored by KBS Corporate, welcomes Briganti Librino
As you may have already seen in The Times, Bolton Rugby Club is hosting over 50 members of the Briganti Librino Rugby Club.
As you may have already seen in The Times, Bolton Rugby Club is hosting over 50 members of the Briganti Librino Rugby Club. KBS Corporate are the proud sponsor of Bolton Rugby Club and part of the reason we are proud to support the club is due to our joint charitable attitudes.
Briganti Librino is based in Librino, one of the most deprived areas in southern Italy which has seen severe underfunding and mafia interference since the 1960s. The rugby club was established in 2006 to help generate a sense of community and offer new opportunities to children and adults alike. Briganti Librino embraced this ethos, and the club has continued to have a positive impact on the local community including building a café, and library and operating a youth group which meets most days.
In 2018 the club met with some opposition, which included the clubhouse being burnt down. These attacks intensified in April 2022 when the newly armoured clubhouse door was broken and equipment stolen, later returning to burn down the team’s bus too.
Bolton Rugby Club has invited Briganti Librino to Bolton as part of their 150th celebrations. Bolton Chairman, Mark Brocklehurst explained that: “the Rugby family stretches far and wide across the world and will always stand up against all forms of anti-social behaviour. When we read about the situation faced by Briganti we knew immediately that we had to reach out and try to help. The prospect of some of their teams visiting us, and vice versa is extremely exciting! For the people of Librino rugby offers an alternative to a potential life of crime on the streets, if we can help Briganti by offering a glimmer of hope then amazing things can happen, what better motivator for Bolton to get involved.”
John Rigby, KBS Corporate CEO, commented: “KBS Corporate is delighted to be involved in such an amazing event. It is made even more special as Bolton Rugby Club is local to our head office, so it is wonderful seeing such kindness so close to the heart of our company. I’m sure Bolton Rugby Club will show Briganti Librino a brilliant time and it will facilitate a stronger bond between the two teams.”