After recent announcements about restrictions easing for parts of Scotland, sports are beginning to get underway in the country once more. Scotland Ruby League has already made some significant announcements, kicking off with the return of the annual wheelchair rugby event, the Celtic Cup, on 12th June – and Allied Mobility, the UK’s wheelchair accessible vehicle specialist, is the official partner for the tournament.
The Celtic Cup has been held since 2015 and sees the Irish, Scottish, and Welsh wheelchair rugby squads play to win the trophy. Scotland is host country for 2021 and the matches will be played at Sport & Exercise Pleasance in Edinburgh.
Allied Mobility is an ideal partner for the games. The company is skilled in designing and building high-quality cars for the market and their team of mobility advisors work with customers to match the vehicle to their needs.
Scotland Rugby League believes that teaming up with Allied Mobility is a great move. Ollie Cruickshank, Scotland Rugby League Operations Director, had this to say about the partnership: “We are looking forward to working with Allied Mobility in the build up to and during the Celtic Cup and thank them for their support of our wheelchair team in the build up to the Rugby League World Cup.”
Aileen Reilly, of Allied Mobility, echoed this sentiment: “Allied Mobility is delighted to support the 2021 Celtic Cup. After a particularly difficult year for everyone it’s great to see disability sports back in action. We wish all the athletes participating the best of luck and can’t wait to watch the matches.”
The return of the tournament is good news for fans of the sport, especially after last year’s event was called off due to the pandemic. Ollie explained told how important it is for disability sports to get underway again after the events of the last year: “Returning to play is going to play a huge role in the UK’s recovery (post-pandemic). This is magnified even more in disability sport, which will be one of the last areas to have restrictions lifted.
“The sooner we can get back to providing a safe, engaging environment then the quicker we can start to have a positive impact on areas such as anxiety and depression, and general wellbeing.”
With wellbeing in mind, it is hoped that, as well as attracting established fans of wheelchair rugby, the Celtic Cup 2021 and the resuming of disability sports across the UK will also inspire more people to join up. After a year of shielding for many, this could be the sport that encourages people to get out and socialise again.
The 2021 Wheelchair Rugby League Celtic Cup fixtures are Scotland v Ireland, Wales v Ireland, and Scotland v Wales. To find out more about the Scottish Wheelchair Rugby League, visit https://www.scotlandrl.com/scotland-wheelchair-rl/.
