The Zambia Rugby Union is expecting to receive €5,000 (about K100,000) from its regional affiliate body, Rugby Africa. Rugby Africa is one of the six regional associations of World Rugby and assembles the African nations that practice 15s and 7s.
In an exclusive email note to the Zambian Business Times – ZBT, Zambia Rugby Union Chief Executive Officer – CEO Henry Shikopa stated that Rugby Africa is going to send Euro 5,000 euros (about K101,946) in June 2020.
Sport has been one of the most hit social and economic activities by the corona virus pandemic resulting in complete suspension of all sports activities in Zambia. Concerns have been that administrators and players have lost their key source of income.
“Rugby Africa has offered it affiliates tiered amounts of COVID relief funds. These are set according to rank and status of each affiliate. Zambia falls in the top tier and has been awarded Euro €5,000. These funds are expected to hit the accounts of the Zambian Rugby Union this month of June 2020. Furthermore, world Rugby was waived 2020 affiliation fees for all is members”, he told ZBT.
Furthermore, Shikopa added that the union has not yet lost any money to date because they have not reached a point in the season where they generate money from fixtures. But the losses from league fixtures for the individual clubs is definitely there.
“The union has not lost any notable funds to date. This is because the union does not make any money from Rugby league fixtures. We have not yet reached the point in the season where the union does generate money from tournaments and international fixtures which ordinarily are in June to September. Although the financial and revenue vacuum is coming and we can feel it”, he said.
The union has also joined the digital realm by using an online platform that registers all players and rugby activities on to the international data base. The centralized database will allow for a much wider oversight of all ruby activities and also the local union, Rugby Africa and World Rugby.
“This exercise is ongoing, and aims to register all players male, female, youth to toddlers that are affiliated to any rugby institution in Zambia whether a participant in the ZRU league or any other”, he said.
Shikopa says the union is yet to determine how efficient ScrumIT is but is impressed with what he is seeing.
“The ScrumIT exercise began in April 2020 in the midst of COVID 19 and the halt of rugby activities. It is still in implementation stage. Its full value can only be assessed at after full implementation. We will only be in a position to appreciate the full value of ScrumIT when full domestic and international rugby activities resume. But suffice to say that even in the early stages we are with ScrumIT, its so far so good”, he said.
