Kenya Rugby Union will be one of the beneficiaries of the Rugby Africa grant of Sh36 million to kickstart activities in the 2021 season.
KRU is among the 11 federations set to receive the funds with Namibia, Uganda, Tunisia, Zimbabwe, Algeria, Zambia, Madagascar, Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Ghana also eligible.
"A very targeted approach has been taken to ensure funds are applied where they will have the greatest, immediate impact and highlights the attractiveness of Rugby Africa competitions," read the statement from Rugby Africa.
Rugby Africa president Khaled Babbou said: “This is an exciting day for rugby on the continent. It clearly illustrates Rugby Africa’s support for its unions. We have been through extraordinary challenges this year and it is essential that we do everything possible to keep this much-loved sport alive in Africa.”
Babbou, alongside the Rugby Africa executive committee, said 40 per cent of the money will be used to strengthen and develop domestic competitions and the existing support workforce necessary to develop clubs and leagues in a country. To establish this, a Union Development Questionnaire (using a scoring tool developed by World Rugby) was used in consultation with each union.
The remaining 60 per cent will be determined on performance, participation and results of Rugby Africa Unions during the 2018 or 2019 season including Rugby Cup (Men and Women), Sevens (Men and Women) and U20 Barthès Trophy
Babbou added that depending on the scores, unions are eligible to receive between Sh650,000 and Sh6.1 million. Rugby Africa staff will work closely with the unions to draft a program to be presented to Senior Management and EXCO for approval before releasing the funds in early 2021.
Among the activities targeted include the restart of the domestic leagues and training camps for the national teams as well as paying participation fees at international tournaments.
