I SAY SO
May 14, 2006
<b>Take rugby to Namboole</b><br>Give rugby five more years, and it will become Uganda’s biggest sports attractions.
Give rugby five more years, and it will become Uganda’s biggest sports attractions.
A sober leadership that is determined to boost the game’s quality and also implement an expansionist policy has the sky as the limit for what previously seemed an exclusive sport.
You only had to be at Lugogo for the Uganda versus Kenya encounter at the weekend to realise that this highly physical game, previously classified as a small sport, could soon be competing with the likes of football.
Kampala Rugby Club attracted one of its biggest crowds as hundreds of people thronged Lugogo to watch the arch rivals battle.
That this was another of consistently growing crowds at rugby matches, said volumes about where the sport was headed.
But as the game grows, the respective facilities seem not be commensurately changing.
While the packed spectators enjoyed some fine rugby on Saturday, there was also the prayer that the rains wouldn’t resume on the entirely open facility.
The big numbers also meant that spectators in certain areas either had to crane their necks or miss part of the action.
But you could still save the sh5,000 entry fee and still have an even better view.
All you had to do, was strategically position yourself at the adjacent KCC stadium or another raised ground nearby to comfortably follow proceedings.
And for the adventurous, the huge neighbouring mango trees provided an unparalled aerial view point.
But amidst the fanfare, it was not only the rain that kept everyone worried. There was also the inconvenience of finding your car vandalised in the limited parking areas.
So, why not opt for either Nakivubo or Namboole?
South Africa and Namibia are some countries where football stadia are also used for rugby.
The 1994 World Cup soccer tournament in USA, a country with virtually no traditional soccer stadiums, is another classic example.
American football stadiums were converted to soccer venues in what eventually turned out as one of the most lively finals both on and off the pitch.
Benefits of shifting include not only a better surface, bigger crowd and eventually more revenue in gate collections from the sport’s largely middle class clientele.
This would cumulatively boost rugby’s quest to get to the next level.
Ends
A sober leadership that is determined to boost the game’s quality and also implement an expansionist policy has the sky as the limit for what previously seemed an exclusive sport.
You only had to be at Lugogo for the Uganda versus Kenya encounter at the weekend to realise that this highly physical game, previously classified as a small sport, could soon be competing with the likes of football.
Kampala Rugby Club attracted one of its biggest crowds as hundreds of people thronged Lugogo to watch the arch rivals battle.
That this was another of consistently growing crowds at rugby matches, said volumes about where the sport was headed.
But as the game grows, the respective facilities seem not be commensurately changing.
While the packed spectators enjoyed some fine rugby on Saturday, there was also the prayer that the rains wouldn’t resume on the entirely open facility.
The big numbers also meant that spectators in certain areas either had to crane their necks or miss part of the action.
But you could still save the sh5,000 entry fee and still have an even better view.
All you had to do, was strategically position yourself at the adjacent KCC stadium or another raised ground nearby to comfortably follow proceedings.
And for the adventurous, the huge neighbouring mango trees provided an unparalled aerial view point.
But amidst the fanfare, it was not only the rain that kept everyone worried. There was also the inconvenience of finding your car vandalised in the limited parking areas.
So, why not opt for either Nakivubo or Namboole?
South Africa and Namibia are some countries where football stadia are also used for rugby.
The 1994 World Cup soccer tournament in USA, a country with virtually no traditional soccer stadiums, is another classic example.
American football stadiums were converted to soccer venues in what eventually turned out as one of the most lively finals both on and off the pitch.
Benefits of shifting include not only a better surface, bigger crowd and eventually more revenue in gate collections from the sport’s largely middle class clientele.
This would cumulatively boost rugby’s quest to get to the next level.
Ends