Saturday, January 19, 2013

Uganda Rugby: The Black Panthers dilemma

Rugby clubs to pay sh67m to access Legends ground


                                     Becky. Black Panthers manager
  ( Hard hitting, fun loving, female rugby players who are maniacs on pitch but are ladies off the pitch. )

I have no further comment to make on that.



RUGBY clubs will have to part with sh67.2m a year and also forego gate collections during League games if they are to access Legends Kampala Rugby Club this season for their activities.

That is about $27,000 NZ. 

This was the demand the club management set for clubs to use the facility for training and league games this season.

According to a member of the Uganda Rugby Union, each club is to pay Sh9.6m a year or sh800000/= monthly to access the facility that was closed last year by the club management.

It seems a lot of money for the clubs to have to raise. The average income in 2010 looks to be about $600 US.

Kampala Rugby Club is home to seven clubs including Rhinos, G4S Pirates, Summerkamp, Sailors, Boks, D'Mark Kobs and female side Black Panthers.

Pirates club officials asserts that whereas that sh9.6m  may not be too much for them and Kobs other clubs like Rhinos, Boks, Sailors, and Black Panthers cannot  afford that money.

Sounds like it might be timely for the IRB ( International Rugby Board ) to step in and spend a few ( very few ) of the profits from the last RWC ( Rugby World Cup ). The Guardian reports

 "The World Cup plays a critical role in the development and profile of rugby worldwide," a spokesman said. "It generates the revenues that are entirely reinvested and distributed by the board across our 117 member unions during the four-year cycle between tournaments to increase competitiveness and advance the strategic goal of implementing development plans in order that rugby can be a truly global sport.
"The current programme is £150m between 2009 and 2012 with approximately 50% of the revenues going to the tier-one nations. There are significant benefits for participation at rugby's showcase sport, including brand exposure to a broadcast audience in more than 200 countries worldwide.


Kampala Rugby Club was in 2011 sold to a private investor and this sparked of wrangles between the rugby fraternity, URU and the Executive of Kampala Rugby club.

The wrangles led to the suspension of the KRUFC executive members Steven Ojambo, John Musoke, Henry Musoke and Sam Ahamya.

The Nile Special premier Rugby League kicks-off on Friday next week, and this has forced Kobs to head to the Lugogo Cricket Oval and Pirates to Makerere for their league preparations.

All sounds like a bit of a mess. I guess somethings are universal in Rugby.

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