Ikram Butt, top right, with children from the Manningham cluster of primary schools.
A sports star hopes a rugby league initiative will encourage more children to take up the sport and tackle cultural barriers.
Ikram Butt, managing director of the British Asian Rugby Association (BARA), arranged for pupils at six primary schools in Manningham, Bradford, to play peers from Leeds and London during a mini tag-rugby tournament at Leeds Rhinos' Headingley training ground.
Mr Butt, the first Asian man to play rugby league for England, hopes the enjoyment of playing the sport will help build better relationships between the youngsters and showcase the sporting talent to be found within minority ethnic communities.
The former Leeds, Featherstone Rovers and Huddersfield star said: "The event was about bringing different communities together to share different experiences and accentuate common ground.
"We also want to demonstrate that South Asian communities are into sports like rugby and are not only interested in cricket and hockey.
"But if they are given the chance they will excel at other sports too.
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"There is a lot of talent in all communities in Bradford - it just needs to be nurtured, developed and channelled into mainstream sports."
Youngsters at Springwood, Green Lane, Iqra, Atlas, Miriam Lord and Westbourne primaries, which form the Manningham primary school cluster, took part in the event, co-ordinated with help by Thornton Grammar School, a specialist sports college.
After the tournament, which saw youngsters join together in mixed teams, Bradford pupils hosted a party at the Saffron restaurant in Leeds Road before giving their guests a guided tour of the Hanfia mosque in Carlisle Road. The entire party then watched Huddersfield Giants take on the Catalan Dragons at the Galpharm Stadium.
Khalil Hussain, a community development worker at Springwood Primary, who also helped organise the event, said: "It's important to show people what Bradford is all about and show young people who may not automatically play rugby what the game can offer."
Malikai Hodgson, ten, a pupil at Westbourne Primary, said: "I like rugby because it's good to run with the ball and keep yourself fit.
"It's good to meet players from other places."
Mr Butt, a sports development officer with Bradford Council, plans to lead a trip to the House of Commons to talk to politicians about some of the barriers which still exist in sport to budding athletes from minority ethnic communities.
Started in 2004 and backed by Bradford Council, HSBC Bank, Sport England, the Rugby Football League and the Rugby Football Union, BARA aims to encourage Asian participation in the sport.
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