Liam Dunseath promotes rugby in Iran

Former Richmond FC player Liam Dunseath is on a mission to promote rugby union in Iran, who became a member of the International Rugby Board in 2010.

Iran, who is also a member of the Asian Rugby Football Union won the Asian Five Nations Central Asia Regional tournament in 2008 and also the Asian Five Nations Division III tournament in 2010 and is currently coached by Liam, who is a member of QBE Coaching Club.

The QBE Coaching Club, which was launched in 2013 in partnership with QBE Insurance and the Rugby Football Union aimed at developing and training 2,015 new Level 2 rugby coaches leading to the Rugby World Cup last year and Liam was a by-product of it.

Liam took up the challenge of promoting the game globally and in 2015, he made his intentions to the Iran Rugby Federation following which he was named assistant coach of the Iranian National 15s side.

“One of my best friends is Iranian and I had always been interested in going to Tehran to see the country he grew up in. I thought it would be fantastic to go over there, see the sights and incorporate some rugby coaching,” said Liam.

Liam's Level 2 qualification with QBE Coaching Club provides him with enough expertise to recruit new players in the country and he believes playing the game at a younger age will help them make a better player.

“We are hoping to get an influx of players and sponsorship to try and promote the sport in Iran, and hopefully get trial days for youngsters to try rugby in schools for the first time. If we can get kids playing rugby at a young age, they can filter up the ranks later on and create a great foundation for the future of Iranian rugby.”

“Countries like New Zealand, South Africa and Canada have a big rugby heritage through their Commonwealth ties. That isn’t the case in Iran. I am trying to promote rugby and recruit players all the time, encouraging them to give it a go. I use social media to speak to Iranians all over the world to try and promote rugby in Iran.”

The contribution of Liam was recognised by the Iran Rugby Federation as he was made the head coach of the national team for the Asia Sevens Series in Dubai earlier this year.

He had a fairly successful outing as Iran managed to win two out of the four games and Liam showered his praises on the QBE Coaching Club for helping him understand the game better.

“The QBE Coaching Club has helped me learn how to challenge the players that I coach and help them improve.Without the Level 2 qualification I might have got stuck in the same style of coaching and perhaps not developed as much as I have now. The qualification has helped me become a better coach and transfer the knowledge onto my Iran side.”

There has been a 25 percent increase in number of Level 2 coaches because of QBE Coaching Club, which has recorded a positive impact on 50,375 players and 4,030 other coaches.