Eleven players out of a twelve-member team of the West Bengal State Women’s Rugby Team, Jungle Crows, hail from the tea garden villages in the Jalpaiguri district of West Bengal under Don Bosco Shrine parish, Siliguri, established in 1993. The Women’s Rugby team is at the 38th National Games at Dehradun from January 29-31.
Christened Jungle Crows, the Adivasi tribal girls team is participating in the Women’s Rugby tournament at the Maharana Pratap Sports Complex in Dehradun, Uttarakhand. They are competing against seven other teams, including Odisha, the defending champions, West Bengal, Delhi, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Tamil Nadu.
Social Entrepreneur and founding facilitator of Women’s Rugby in Saraswatipur, Salesian Father Mathew George, recalls, “The team was founded in 2004 by Paul Walsh, a British bank employee in Calcutta who was a rugby enthusiast.” Father Mathew George is currently skilling underprivileged youth in the jungle mahals of West Midnapore.
“The Jungle Crows were initially formed to provide opportunities for underprivileged tribal girls in the tea gardens to use their strength and stamina to learn and play rugby,” said former Salesian College Siliguri Assistant Professor Father George, who was instrumental in the creation of Saraswatipur Girl’s Rugby Team.
Father Mathew George adds, “The Jungle Crows are not just a rugby team but also a community development program. Under the Khelo Rugby (Play Rugby) banner, the team’s founders and coaches work with local children, providing them with education, nutrition, life skills, and rugby training.”
The Jungle Crows’ achievements in Indian rugby are impressive. They won India’s first-ever Women’s 10s tournament in October 2009 and the National 7s in March 2010. Additionally, the Jungle Crows Foundation has produced players who have gone on to represent India in international rugby competitions and provided staff for the Decathlon sports chain supermarket.
Over the years, The Jungle Crows have profoundly impacted the lives of the children and communities they belong to. “They have helped to promote education and health awareness, develop life skills and confidence, and provide opportunities for social mobility and personal growth, as well as higher education,” said Father Mathew George.
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