FORMER Moldgreen amateur player Andy Lindley has been spreading the Rugby League message far from its birthplace – in war-ravaged Afghanistan.

Huddersfield-born Rugby Football League ambassador Andy, a former head of youth development with Engage Super League club Crusaders, has broken new ground in the sport.

He led a sports coaching programme in Afghanistan, one of the world’s most troubled regions.

And he did so on a mission shrouded in secrecy and on a project rejected by other organisations as too dangerous.

Andy began his Rugby League career with Huddersfield side Moldgreen, having been brought up in Rawthorpe.

And he is now back home from his life-changing experience.

He spent nine days delivering a PE teacher training programme to a group of select Afghan teachers in the capital Kabul.

Andy travelled to Afghanistan as part of a tripartite agreement between the Afghan Ministry of Education, the British Council and the RFL.

They were there to work a group of 40 Afghan educators, ranging in abilities from university graduates to local village teachers.

The programme, which was originally proposed as an armed forces project, looked to have stalled after the plan ran into logistical difficulties.

But after being approached by the British Council, Andy and the RFL were delighted to have the opportunity to help the local Afghan community.

“This was a once in a lifetime experience,” said Andy. “It has been life changing for me personally. It’s made me realise how lucky we are in the west.