Namibia Schools Sport Union (NSSU) president Roger Kambatuku said yesterday that the agreement signed between them and the Namibia Rugby Union (NRU) will help accelerate the growth of rugby in the country. 

He made these remarks at a press conference yesterday at NRU headquarters in the capital, where they signed an agreement. The deal will see the two bodies work hand in-hand on grassroots-level organised rugby events. This will also give the local rugby governing body decision-making power. 

Kambatuku said the agreement will also focus on introducing rugby to schools that are not yet playing the sport, as well as supporting the start of women’s rugby at that level. Despite having a fully-fledged men’s rugby team in the country, he expressed that incorporating women’s rugby at the school level would drive the sport’s growth at the fastest rate. 

“One of the things John Heynes and I discussed last year was taking the sport to schools and regions that aren’t playing rugby. Of course, we know it won’t be easy, as we are often faced with the issue of facilities,” he said. 

“But our idea is to take rugby to the schools, and this is the only way we can think of accelerating the growth of the sport in the country and those areas far from where it is currently played. We cannot only have this in major towns, because this will open many doors,” he added. 

Meanwhile, NRU chief executive officer (CEO) John Heynes commended the partnership, saying it’s a step in the right direction. He said this initiative will bring schools closer to the federations, which will transition into easier workflow between them (NRU) and NSSU. 

“The NSSU will still be the umbrella body for schools sport. With this agreement, it will place us in a position where we will work closely with all the schools in the country. This way, we will be able to work well with everyone involved in rugby. We understand that facilities are one challenging factor, but we will see what we can do with that situation. Our interest is to ensure that the sport is readily available in each and every school,” he added. 

mkambukwe@nepc.com.na