NRL coffers run dry

Ngoni Dapira
THE topflight National Rugby League funds have dried out mid-season with no potential sponsor in sight, NRL chairperson, Noddy Kanyangarara, has revealed.
Kanyangarara revealed this in a telephone interview on Tuesday following the further postponement of the topflight league to August 16.

The NRL was supposed to resume and enter the second round fixtures on July 12, but was initially rescheduled to accommodate the Sables (Zimbabwe’s 15s national rugby team) preparations for the Confederation of African Rugby tournament and 2015 Rugby World Cup qualifiers.

However, after several rumours had done the rounds on the NRL’s shaky financial circumstances, Kanyangarara came out clean to reveal the grave financial state of affairs on the ground, which might see several teams failing to fulfill league fixtures due to lack of transport funds.

“Since the beginning of the season we have been surviving from last year’s funds but they are now depleted.

“I am, however, still hopeful that Delta Beverages and NetOne will come to the rescue as they had put us on hold since the beginning of the season.

“But by and large, so far there is no sign of a sponsor to complete the 2014 season and we are just pinning our hopes on chance,” said Kanyangarara.

Delta Beverage’s Lion Lager brand was the official NRL sponsor for the past three years after they signed a three-year sponsorship deal in 2011.

The contract catered for all the travel expenditures of the eight teams in the topflight league and also provided new jerseys and training gear.

This year, besides the traditional sponsor Delta Beverages, among the many companies that the NRL approached for sponsorship, NetOne was the most accommodating.

To add salt to injury this year, the topflight NRL re-branded from Super-eight to Super-nine with the return of Mutare Sports Club.

Kanyangarara said to complete all the nine matches in the second round fixture they needed around $26 000 for transport expenses alone or $32 000 if referees fees are included.

“My plea is to the corporate world and any well-wishers out there to come on board and support our club rugby league.

“This is the foundation of the growth of our national rugby. Without a properly functional national topflight league there will be no resource pool to nurture and our local players.

“We have come a long way since the Zimbabwean dollar era and it would be a shame to disintegrate now especially present-day when our International Rugby Board rankings are at their all-time highest and when a lot is going well for Zimbabwean rugby,” he said.

With all the efforts put over the years to develop and restructure Zimbabwe’s club rugby it would be disheartening to see the concerted efforts crumble.

Before 2008 there was no visible national rugby league due to financial constraints. The league had been decentralized to Harare and Bulawayo where the bulk of the teams are.

This did not spur development for other regional teams like MSC, Gweru Sports Club and Zvishavane Bulls that later re-emerged when the NRL resurfaced in 2009.