Bolu Fagborun: Nigerian-British Coach and Former Huddersfield Giants Rugby League Player Helps Break Barriers For Marginalised and Ethnic Minorities

Business coach and founder of Fagborun Limited, Bolu Fagborun, 39, was born in a Nigerian town called Edunabon.

A year later, his father was offered a commonwealth scholarship to study a PhD in linguistics at the University of York.

His family sold everything they had to be able to afford the transport and to set themselves up in the UK.

Bolu’s mother studied a master’s degree in peace studies at Bradford University and their years of hard work and education opened them up to many opportunities and helped them establish themselves in the UK.

As well as his parents, the person he most admires in his family is his artistic sister Tinuke, who uses her talents to celebrate diversity and the lives of women of colour.

“Every single one of us has completed a minimum of an undergraduate degree in England,” Mr Fagborun said.

“My family have always been proud of their heritage and for several years, through a charity they worked for, my parents ran events like African Day in Bradford and have championed the voices of African people in communities.

“Tinuke Fagborun celebrates diverse storytelling; her art is a colourful and optimistic response to the dominant narrative surrounding women of colour in media and the art world.

“She creates illustrations in which women are uncensored, empowered, otherworldly and the architects of their own rich stories.

“She’s picked a profession and uses art to capture the diversity of different communities and uses it to tell stories.

“She has worked for a range of companies like Everpress, Penguin Random House, Bloomsbury, Adidas, NHS, BBC and Go Daddy.

“I'm really proud of my partner Helen and three young children: Theo Olushola Fagborun, Lincoln Oluwafemi Fagborun and Madison Anike Fagborun who all share a USA presidential first name and a Yoruba/Nigerian middle name.”

Bolu has struggled in his childhood to fit in during his primary and secondary school years but that has never stopped him from reaching for the stars.

“Most schools I went to were not so diverse,” he said.

“I was often a handful of children of colour in the year; school times were an interesting mix of fitting in and standing out.

“Some of the teachers were extremely kind and knew I didn’t look like anyone else and helped [me].

“Some teachers would treat racism like they would any swearing or abuse and especially during primary school and middle school, it made me question the ability of people in a position of power to support issues which they couldn't relate to.

“I never saw myself as a victim. I suffered obstacles because I looked different, but it also motivated me to bring my culture and differences right in front of people.

“It’s rewarding to see people's stance change when they [become] more exposed to your culture and values.

“But I also know growing up that some people never change and it was sad to see.”

Bolu has often had to confront the narrow worldview of his peers and educate them on his heritage.

“I remember having so many confrontations with children over the fact I looked completely different to the other kids in school,” he said.

“But you learn a lot from these sorts of experiences, having to stand up for yourself and also in my mind looking back I was standing up for my culture and people who looked like me.

“Out of school was great. [Within] the communities I lived in, we all bonded normally through playing sports most evenings and I think it really impacted how I looked at sports as a great tool to bring people together.”

Bolu was a Huddersfield Giants rugby league player and began playing professional sports during his childhood.

“For me, it’s quite interesting culturally because playing sports in my area was the first time I really felt like part of a community,” he said

“It opened up doors that I couldn’t have opened without it. It also made me look at communities differently.

“[I was inspired to get into sports through] friends locally in Clayton. I played for Clayton Rugby league club.

“I started playing at twelve years old. Even 25 years later I still feel part of that community even though I don't live there.

“I remember watching Jason Robinson, a Black man from Leeds, play at Wembley in the rugby league challenge cup final.

“I thought to myself, I was good enough to play against these giants of men who could play a sport which required so much speed, skills and courage.

“I was scouted for Huddersfield Giants whilst playing at Dudley Hill and I made my professional debut the week before my last A-level exam whilst attending Queensbury Upper School in Bradford.”

Bolu was selected to play for Nigeria in its first international rugby game in 2019 after being retired for six years.

“It was great to come out of retirement after six years, train hard for six months and fly to Nigeria to represent my country,” Mr Fagborun said.

“It was great to be able to help them create history with their first ever international game and to score Nigeria rugby league's first ever try.

“I’m consulting and coaching the Nigeria women’s rugby league team.

“We are playing in a World Series in Canada in October 2025 with the winner qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in Australia and PNG.”

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In 2017, he visited his birthplace for the first time since he was born and got reacquainted with the cultures and traditions he grew up with.

Whilst he was there, he headed a project to establish a foreign crop farm called ‘Okaifarm’, which he regards as the proudest moment of his career.

“It was remarkable and really helped in my own development of how I can help people in Nigeria and in the diaspora,” Mr Fagborun said.

“The fact I was going back to look at land for the farm and start an enterprise was really emotional but also fulfilling.

“Whilst recovering from an operation for a ruptured Achilles, I created a foreign crop farm, Okaifarm, in Nigeria close to the place of my birth.

“It gave me hope and the entrepreneurial drive which has helped everything else I've done since.

“Having lost siblings in Nigeria who I'd never met, it was a heartfelt moment to visit a place where my brothers and sisters passed away at a very young age and didn’t have the chance to experience some of the things I’ve done.

“It brought me a lot closer to the country of my birth in terms of understanding, bridging gaps and culturally seeing where I can be more effective both in England and Nigeria.”

Bolu has also shared some of the Nigerian traditions, clothing and food he was brought up with including Yoruba culture and the piece of clothing Aso Oke.

“I grew up eating Nigerian food – Puff-Puff [deep fried dough], plantain [versatile food that can be fried, boiled or roasted], Jollof rice, Efo Riro [spinach stew],” he said.

“Education is held in high regard and a large artistic nature of the Nigerian people.

“Yoruba culture is one of the largest in West Africa and respects traditions; it traces its origins back centuries and places the ancient city of Ile Ife at his heart.

“It's got a large influence in Africa and is both vibrant and has mythical foundations which influence communities.

“At the heart of Yoruba culture lies its language, spoken by over 50 million people worldwide; it’s colourful and proverb heavy.

“Aso Oke is a traditional Nigerian clothing handwoven on a vertical loom.

“It’s made from various materials like palm fibres, cotton or silk and comes in various patterns and colours.

“It can create traditional outfits which are historic and fashionable like Abada, Iro and blouses.”

Since competing for his country, Bolu has broken into the business and sports coaching industry and through his career he has supported many people from all backgrounds, particularly those who are marginalised and under-represented.

“I'm involved in three areas, leadership, entrepreneurship and sports through my company ‘Fagborun limited’,” he said.

“We help create world class leaders using elite sports mindset, coaching and mentoring background to fuel organisational growth and the development of people for exponential growth and unprecedented scenarios.

“We work within entrepreneurship, especially supporting those coming from under-represented groups like women, people of colour and BAME through projects, events and enterprise coaching. It’s work I am really proud of having made a difference in.

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“I’ve worked as an enterprise coach before in Bradford, as part of a council funded project, called ‘Build Your Business’.

“I have helped hundreds of people including three African entrepreneurs who have city centre shops which are still going today: Annexo, Nigerian House and Yetna Bukka & Events.”

An African business Bolu champions and is proud to support is Tilz Mart, a multi-channel retailer based in Harehills, Leeds, that stocks a variety of products including toys, homewares, confectionary and garden supplies.

“I've worked with the organisation as they’ve continued to grow and scale and aim to break towards the 10 million a year in sales,” he said.

“They have a hard working and ambitious CEO Tayo Adebisi.

“I’m the chair of the African Business Association.

“We have thousands of individual members and have held events which have given members a chance to grow, expand networks and have quality learning opportunities.

“Early-stage businesses, especially for ethnic minority backgrounds, have so many barriers.

“I’m trying to be the person who in the 1980s and 1990s my parents could have met to help them on their journey and open up doors.”