Mzansi’s Rugby Academy, a brand new initiative in Port Alfred, was launched recently to develop the sport among township youth, with a view to providing opportunities for future champions.
Trials were held for U9, U11 and U13 players at the Station Hill sports field on Saturday February 15, where about 70 youths showed up.
“We had hoped for about 300, but we will work with those who came,” co-founder of Mzansi’s Rugby Academy, Barry Scharneck said.
“As a long standing supporter, rugby coach and entrepreneur, my knowledge and passion for rugby has stretched over the last three decades,” he said.
“Coming from the Eastern Cape myself, I have seen an insatiable amount of talent in the youth yet it saddens me that not more make it to the next level of their potential. This is largely down to a lack of funding, poor equipment and non-playable fields, along with a lack of personnel with the ability to balance their own lives with helping others. This is where we come in.”
Scharneck and his co-founder Alex Floyd-Douglass envision assisting junior rugby players at grassroots level in reaching the next stage of their rugby career.
“With our assistance, we believe we can connect these children with the more prestigious schools in the Eastern Cape. Ultimately, our goal is to train the kids in the Nemato area (and their schools respectively) to the point where they are scouted, and offered scholarships and/or bursaries to gain a better education,” he said.
Falling under the umbrella of Mzansi’s Social Enterprise, Scharneck said the rugby academy would be funded through the organisation, in addition to sponsors and private investments.
“We’ve spent a long time researching the area, meeting with the right people and learning exactly what is needed for the development of our programme,” he said.
All the children who attended the trials last Saturday came from Nemato. Scharneck said Station Hill youth had not participated, but he knew there was already a rugby club in the community.
He said Mzansi’s Rugby Academy would work with two Nemato schools, Mtyobo Primary School and Dambuza Primary School – which previously had a rugby programme under a past principal.
“Our main focus is to give the talented youth of these schools the opportunity to play the beautiful game of rugby and platform to succeed,” he said.
“Following the success of our inaugural trials this past Saturday, we can confirm that we will have three exceptionally competitive sides in the U9, U11 and U13 age groups. As an academy, we look forward to playing the local sides here in Eastern Cape and are open to arranging friendly fixtures.”
Scharneck said each child enrolled in the academy would receive a contract stating their obligations and rights within the academy, including what is required of them to remain in the programme. Emphasis will be placed on full class attendance, top behaviour reports and a player’s full commitment to the academy.
“We want to teach the children that this academy is a privilege for them to reach their potential, and if their school grades are not up to scratch, they will experience repercussions accordingly.”
He thanked sponsors who had assisted at the trials: the Royal St Andrews Hotel which sponsored bottled water for every person attending the trials, tables, chairs, transport assistance and a gazebo; Pick n Pay Heritage Mall for sponsoring 60 litres of water and 15 loaves of bread; Warwick Wealth for sponsoring 50 Stormers jerseys for the children to practice in.
“We will work on gaining sponsorship for our own branded jerseys for the season,” Scharneck said.
He thanked others who had helped out at the trials, including Royal St Andrews Hotel food and beverage manager Robin Hyde, local rugby coach Philasande Ngqungqumba and teachers from Mtyobo and Dambuza
The academy recently started their own social media pages on Facebook and Twitter and are running a campaign using the hashtag #SupportMzansisRugby on the following pages: https://facebook.com/mzansisrugbyacademy and https://twitter.com/MzansisRugby
