Ade Adebisi
 Ade Adebisi at his signing as the Brand Ambassador for Biomedomics Sickle Scan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 1 July 1986 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 15.4 st; 216 lb (98 kg) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Fullback, Wing | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ade Adebisi (born 1 July 1986), also known by the nickname of "London Flyer", is a British rugby league footballer. He played a representative level for (BARLA) Young Lions against France, and was selected for the 2011 Championship 1 All Stars team at club level for the London Skolars (two spells), in 2004's Super League IX for the London Broncos (Heritage No. 437), Hull F.C. (loan, Academy), Doncaster Lakers (Heritage No. 934),[3] [4]the Featherstone Rovers (Heritage No. 903) and Whitehaven in National League One (reserve grade), as a fullback or wing.
Adebisi suffers from the genetic blood disorder sickle-cell disease and is the only known rugby player ever to play professionally with the condition.[4][5] He is an ambassador for the Sickle Cell Society and the founder of the Ade Adebisi Sickle Cell Foundation.[4] Adebisi also leads the Nigeria rugby league revolution as general manager/vice chairman. The former professional spent two years between 2017 and 2019 working to get the African nation involved with the 13-a-side code for no money. Under his leadership, Nigeria was chosen to host the Middle East Africa rugby league championship in October 2019.[6][7][8]
Playing career[edit]
London Broncos[edit]
In 2002, Adebisi, a promising schoolboy athlete and footballer joined the London Broncos development programme before signing up for their junior academy team the following season. In 2004, as well as representing the BARLA Young Lions against France, he also made his debut for London in Super League. Limited opportunities at senior level led to a spell on loan to Hull F.C. where he played in their successful 2005 academy side.
Doncaster Lakers & Featherstone[edit]
His association with the London club ended in 2007, when he signed initially for Doncaster before moving to Featherstone for the last 11 games of the season.
His first year at the Recre was a great success and he finished the season as the club's top try scorer. Together with teammate Craig Calvert, Haven had two of the most potent wingmen in the Championship.
Whitehaven RLFC[edit]
In 2008, he joined Whitehaven R.L.F.C. from the 2007 National League Two winning side, Featherstone Rovers. While at Whitehaven R.L.F.C., he was their top try scorer in 2008, with 22 tries in 30 games.
London Skolars[edit]
In 2010, Adebisi returned to London Skolars, following his release by Whitehaven, scoring 51 tries in 66 games through to 2013.
Retirement[edit]
In 2014, following a struggle with injuries and sickle cell disease, Adebisi retired from playing professional rugby league.
Personal life[edit]
On 30 June 2018 Adebisi married his long time partner, Nigerian chef Jennifer Adebisi. Together they have a son, Myles Kobimra Ade Adebisi (born 23 June 2019).[citation needed]
References[edit]
- ^ "Statistics at loverugbyleague.com". loverugbyleague.com. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "Statistics at rugbyleagueproject.org". rugbyleagueproject.org. 31 December 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ "Statistics at robterrace.com". robterrace.com. 31 December 2017. Archived from the original on 24 February 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2018.
- ^ a b c "In a league of his own". The Guardian Nigeria News - Nigeria and World News. 7 June 2019. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ "'How I use rugby to fight sickle cell stigma'". BBC News. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
- ^ "London Skolars winger Ade Adebisi winning battles on and off the pitch". Evening Standard. standard.co.uk. 4 December 2012. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ^ Whalley, John (4 December 2012). "Long cleared to play". The Telegraph. telegraph.co.uk. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
- ^ "Profile at whitehavenrl.co.uk". whitehavenrl.co.uk. 4 December 2012. Archived from the original on 9 July 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2013.
External links[edit]
- "Ade Adebisi at africainterviews.com". Archived from the original on 25 February 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - Ade Adebisi at youtube.com
- Ade Adebisi at facebook.com
- 1986 births
- Living people
- Doncaster R.L.F.C. players
- English people of Nigerian descent
- Sportspeople of Nigerian descent
- English people of Yoruba descent
- English rugby league players
- Featherstone Rovers players
- London Broncos players
- London Skolars players
- Rugby league fullbacks
- Rugby league wingers
- Whitehaven R.L.F.C. players
- Yoruba sportspeople