Filipino Rob Fogerty set to play in Hong Kong as Valley RFC step up recruitment drive
- The 23-year-old says he will leave his ‘comfort zone’ in the United Kingdom and start a new career in the Hong Kong Premiership
- South African Siya Alam joins Fogerty and three other new recruits in the Valley squad for next season
Philippines international Rob Fogerty is set to leave his “comfort zone” in the UK and join Hong Kong Premiership side Societe Generale Valley for the next league campaign.
The 23-year-old centre is one of five players Valley have recruited during the break in global rugby caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, along with South African fly-half Siya Alam.
“Since I was a little boy, rugby was something I wanted to pursue, it’s been my dream and my late father’s to push the rugby as much as I could,” said Fogerty, who plays for Brighton in the London league and is the son of an English father and Filipino mother.
“Opportunities like this don’t come up [that often] and I believe everything happens for a reason. If I was to stay in England, I would be in my comfort zone, working as a teacher.
“Rugby in England is a bit stagnant at the moment, there are a lot of cuts to funding and the opportunities are fewer. Finance is one of the reasons I’m moving to Hong Kong but it’s mainly about progression, it’s a challenge, it’s something new.”