Not many people would take an opportunity to start a new life on the other side of the world away from their family, but that’s exactly what Jim Crick has done. Liam Feaviour finds out more…
From the busy, bustling streets of Newham, East London, Jim Crick now finds himself in the slower, favela-soaked streets of Caxias, Brazil coaching rugby ahead of the Olympics in Rio in 2016. He’s left his life behind to move to South America, learn a new language and teach the kids of Brazil about rugby to try and get more of them interested in it and attempt to compete in a nation that adores football.
Jim is working for the Rugby Premiership in conjunction with the British Council and SESI (a private entity in Brazil maintained and managed by the industries). The idea of the program is to deliver rugby to a part of the world that hasn’t had much contact with it and with that promote the health, cultural and educational benefits rugby offers
Despite it being difficult to compete with football over there, that hasn’t halted Jim’s enthusiasm for the job.
“As you would imagine we’re fighting for media space and attention against our friends with the round balls. However, the children here love the rugby session and are always inquisitive and want to learn more. If we can harvest that spark we can make something truly great.”
He mentions how the living there is almost opposite to living in East London: “The main difference I would say is the speed of things. Everything here moves, for me, at a painfully slow pace, especially coming from the hustle and bustle of London. I’ve found myself getting quite impatient at times before reminding myself where I am.”
Jim explains what made him move across the world at such short notice, “I had been personal training for eight years and was just getting started on my coaching career. It had also been four years since I had my gap year and had only one real holiday since then so I felt my life was getting a bit stale.” One man in particular was vital to Jim even applying for the job: “My father of all people found an advert for this role on Twitter and persuaded me to apply.”
From then Jim has never looked back and around three months since moving seems to be settling into it nicely, “Life here is good, I’ve been fixed up with a top-floor apartment to myself with a kitchen and a balcony with a lovely view of the city and my work is only a 20-minute bus ride away.
“Where I work is basically a massive sports venue with a huge indoor, high ceiling multi-purpose hall, a full athletics track and a synthetic field, all surrounded by beautiful woodland and lake, a far cry from the cramped concrete playgrounds of Newham. The best thing about being here though is that everyone is extremely friendly.”
Jim is in the process of learning the language over there. “The language is coming along; as soon as I found out I got the job I started learning every day. I’m really keen to return to London in December and be able to brag that I can speak another language so I’m throwing myself out there to be uber-social at every opportunity and get a real feel of the natural dialect here.”
He is enthusiastic about rugby and, despite wanting it to become something children in Brazil want to play ahead of football, is realistic about what it can become there in time. “One of the things I’ve noticed is that there is a definite interest in rugby, all the kids I’m teaching love it, every new player at my club (Serra) is besotted with the game even though the club is only 10 years old.
“The athleticism and enthusiasm I’ve seen in the football converts here for sure, with the right guidance, Brazil could definitely be in with a chance of making the group stages by ’23, if not ’19. If you need proof of growth just cast your eye to the World Sevens.”
As for Jim’s future, he doesn’t know what it holds. “I have a two-year visa and (providing I perform well enough) there is an option for a second year. Some of my colleagues out here are on their fourth year this time around and even though I’m having a great time, I feel if I want to grow as a coach I need to continue with my education as one and seeing as there are no coach educators here then this would have to be done in the UK.
“I love East London and will always call it my home; however, I’m not a person who particularly needs his home comforts all the time, although I am only human and I can only wait so long to taste my mum’s roast again. Rest assured though it won’t take long before I’ll be on the search for my next adventure which will also hopefully involve another job in rugby and with any luck, in another corner of the world.”