BARA’s Beyond the Try Line: Celebrating Community Heritage in Rugby exhibition at AMT Headingley Stadium.
With more than 15,000 people attending the Leeds Rhinos vs Hull FC game, the area underneath the South Stand was extremely busy throughout the evening.
It was great to see so many people stopping to read the displays, look at the photographs, take their own pictures and learn more about the contribution of South Asian communities to rugby.
Our BARA mentors, BARA legend, Gurdi Singh, and I spoke with supporters from both clubs, sharing stories and discussing the players, coaches, officials, volunteers and community figures who have helped shape our game.
We also invited visitors to complete surveys, and the feedback we received was extremely positive. It was encouraging to see how much interest there was in the exhibition and how strongly people felt that these stories should be recognised, preserved and shared.
Dr Ikram Butt, founder of BARA, said:
“Growing up a stone’s throw away from Headingley and later being given my own opportunity to play professional rugby at Leeds, bringing our heritage exhibition to this famous stadium was very special for me.
“To see supporters from both Leeds Rhinos and Hull FC stopping, asking questions, taking photographs and sharing their own memories showed exactly why this project matters. Rugby’s history belongs to all of us, and these stories deserve to be seen and celebrated.”
A big thank you to Leeds Rhinos for making us feel so welcome, and a special thank you to Jamie Jones -Buchanan MBE, for giving us the opportunity to bring the exhibition to AMT Headingley Stadium and share this important part of rugby’s heritage with such a large and diverse audience.
Part of BARA’s Beyond the Try Line: Celebrating Community Heritage in Rugby project.
Made possible with support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players.
