The first Kosovar rugby players with big goals

Although it does not have a long tradition in the country, as a sport, rugby has managed to gather young sports lovers in Kosovo.

But, it is the young rugby players who intend to further develop such a sport.

For nearly 5 years, they have been playing with local and international teams.

They hope that the national women's rugby team will be formed very soon.

Drita Shujaku, who is also among the first in this sport, tells about her beginnings in rugby.

"When I started, I had no idea what this sport is, I remember the first training I ran fast, I thought I should be the first. Actually, I didn't know that the rule is to stay behind the player who has the ball. I have gradually learned the rules of rugby, how the game goes", said Shujaku.

She says that she learned the rules of this game very quickly.

"There are several types of rugby, we play rugby with 7 players on the field and the half lasts 7 minutes. In total the game lasts 14 minutes, but usually we play with teams 2-3 games a day. The special thing about rugby is that it has very specific rules, the techniques of this sport are different from other sports. I must then be careful not to hurt my opponent, as well as refer to this sport, there is great respect", she added.

According to the 26-year-old, there are various difficulties in the club where they practice.

But, in particular, he emphasizes the lack of interest of girls in this sport.

"Our team trains once a week for 2 hours, most of us are also involved in other sports and fitness. We have it mainly as a hobby, but we have also participated in competitions outside Kosovo. We are trying to form a Balkan league in order to play games with international countries", said Shujaku. "We had the first tournament in Bulgaria, the experience was good. As a team, we won the third place". This year, the men's national rugby team was formed, while we lack the presence of women in the women's national team".

Edona Hajredinaj from Pristina, before being part of the rugby club, played in other combat sports.

She is finding herself more in this sport, she says.

"Earlier I played individual sports and after a while I thought to change the type of sport, I decided and became interested in rugby. The special thing about rugby for me is that it increases confidence, for a girl this is important", said Hajredinaj.

Expatriate Berisha has been involved in this sport for 4 years, until she appeals to other girls to get involved in this sport.

"Through a friend, I expressed interest in playing this sport. The good thing about rugby is that everyone can find themselves either in speed or any other technique. Girls should try this type of sport first to understand their talent. We call on them every time through social networks to participate and show their talent", said Berisha.

Berisha, as a former soccer player, knows how to differentiate rugby from other sports.

"Besides rugby, I also do hiking, cycling as a child and I played football. "Rugby is very different from other sports, for example with football you follow the ball first, while with rugby it takes a lot of time to learn," she added.

Berisha insists that the girls' national team be formed.

According to her, Rugby has the ability to break barriers and build friendships with many nationalities.

"I am one of the first guys who started playing rugby. Due to the lack of teams in Kosovo, we hold tournaments outside of Kosovo. It is thought to form the girls' national rugby team, because we have international girls in the club and it is better for our girls to represent our country with this sport".

The sport of rugby does not have the dimensions of other sports, but it is developing more and more in Kosovo and in the countries of the region.