ZIMBABWE Rugby Union (ZRU) president Aaron Jani has welcomed the decision by Rugby Africa to avail additional funding to unions on the continent as the local rugby governing body continues to prepare for the safe resumption of rugby activities next year.
BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
ZRU were last week named among 11 of the 39 rugby unions affiliated to Rugby Africa set to benefit from a grant of 276 490 euros “for the successful and safe preparations for the restart of its 2021 rugby season”.
The funding — which comes after an inactive 2020 for all the unions due to the coronavirus pandemic — will see Namibia, Kenya, Uganda, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Algeria, Zambia, Madagascar, Côte d’ivoire, Senegal and Ghana all benefiting.
The latest fund is different from the Covid-19 relief package availed by Rugby Africa in June to assist the most vulnerable communities with food parcels, with the other funds meant for the provision of clubs with masks, sanitisers and medical supplies.
The latest funding is expected to be a boost for the Jani-led ZRU board after they were recently granted conditional approval by the government to resume training and rugby activities.
Jani, who is a member of Rugby Africa’s executive committee, said the funds would play an important role in ensuring a smooth return to competition next year after a challenging 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We are very excited with the funding that has come through and accompanying the funding was a note from Rugby Africa where they have suggested the areas, which the funding should be utilised.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“We are getting a team together within exco (executive committee) that will look at the suggestions that we have been given by Rugby Africa and also in terms of our own needs, thus where we can best utilise the money,” Jani said.
Jani said his board would look at areas which require immediate attention, with the Under-20 league, the top-tier domestic league as well as high-performance sides such as the Sables, Cheetahs and the Lady Cheetahs to be considered.
“Obviously there are a lot of teams and areas to consider, but we will try and prioritise and make sure that the key areas will get preference. These will obviously include your bases that include our Under-20 section and our clubs.
“We need to have a competitive league programme in 2021. “We also have to have a look at the high performance teams which include the Sables, the Cheetahs and the Lady Cheetahs.
“We also need to look at issues of safety in terms of the players returning to play and not being exposed to any adverse effects such as the issue of the coronavirus. We are going to set up a team to look at how best that money can be utilised by the Zimbabwe Rugby Union in 2021,” Janie said.
Rugby, which is the third most popular sport in the country after football and cricket, has been on hold since March following the coronavirus outbreak.
However, the inactivity could soon be a thing of the past after ZRU’s application to resume training and competitive rugby activities was recently approved by the government.
ZRU is bracing for a busy season next year with the Sables aiming to qualify for the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France while the Cheetahs still have a chance of qualifying for the rescheduled Tokyo Olympics.
