The Ghana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) has been invited to tender to host the Africa Rugby Cup 1D – West men’s 15s Rugby tournament involving Ghana, Benin and Togo in April 2017.
According to the President of Ghana Rugby, Mr Herbert Mensah, a successful bid for this tournament will result in many benefits for Ghana as country, for sponsors and for youth development.
“Rugby goes well beyond just boys and girls having fun with an oval ball. It is about building character based on the values of Integrity, Passion, Teamwork, Discipline and Respect that forms the foundation of the Game and a successful hosting of the tournament in Ghana will without doubt promote this mission of Ghana Rugby,” Mensah said.
In the notification communiqué sent to various stakeholders the benefits of a successful bid is outlined as follows.
- An opportunity to showcase Ghana as the true beacon in Africa and to exceed global expectations in terms of Ghana as a progressive and extremely hospitable country with world-class people, abilities and facilities to host an international tournament of this nature as good, if not better, as anyone else can;
- An opportunity for corporate and other sponsors and supporters to not only showcase their brands and products or services in Ghana, but to the whole West African Community and indeed to the world at large, and
- An opportunity for Ghana Rugby to add tremendous value to its mission of youth development, indeed of character building, through its value based programs built on the foundations of Integrity, Passion, Teamwork, Discipline and Respect.
Mensah also said that, in order to reap these benefits, Ghana Rugby will need the support of Ghana – both government and corporate – in the form of both financial contributions, sponsorships and in-kind contributions.
The Africa Cup 1D – West 1 tournament forms part of World Rugby’s regional tournament structure designed to eventually decide who will participate in the Rugby World Cup. A win for Ghana will mean that Ghana Rugby will get promoted to the 1C level in Rugby, and continued success can see Ghana being given a shot at a Rugby World Cup spot.
According to the Vice President of Ghana Rugby, Ernest Hanson, this will be an ideal opportunity for corporate bodies who want to promote their brands, products or services in the wider West African market.
“Countries who will be taking part in this year’s World Rugby men’s 15s tournament include Ghana, Benin, Togo, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria, Côté d’Ivoire and Sénégal. The leg between Ghana, Benin and Togo form part of the continental encounters and media exposure will reach well beyond just Ghana,” Hanson said.
Rugby is the second biggest sport after football in the world and the Rugby World Cup 2015 attracted an audience of more than 120 million people. More than 6.6million players across 120 countries participate in Rugby on a regular basis.
Source: 3news.com | Ghana
