Vodafone Sticks With Vanua Championship
The 2022 Vodafone Fiji Rugby Vanua Championship was launched with much more excitement at Albert Park on Wednesday.
The launch was conducted following a four-hour rules and regulations workshop attended by over
100 representatives of the 16 participating unions across Fiji.
Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) chief executive officer John O’Connor thanked Vodafone Fiji Limited for their continued loyal support of the Vodafone Fiji Rugby Vanua Championship and their commitment to developing rugby at the grass root level.
“This is very encouraging for all the teams playing in the tournament, as they play to represent their province with pride in this fantastic competition,” he said.
FRU acknowledges Vodafone Fiji for their contribution to the operations of the Vodafone Fiji Rugby Vanua Championship for the past four years.
A significant investment that includes the man-of-match vouchers, playing kit provisions, ball supply and a participating grant of $20,000 for senior division and $5000 for the Under-19 category.
The winner of the 2022 Vodafone Vanua Championship will be awarded $10,000. The runners- up will be handed $5000.
Vodafone Fiji chief marketing officer, Rajnesh Prasad said, they are proud of their longstanding and successful partnership with FRU.
“Passion for our vanua is an important part of our organisational
credo which we strengthen through our significant sponsorship investments,” he said.
“Our sponsorships boost diverse and wide range of sports from grassroots to international levels, through which we have celebrated many wins.
As we pivot from the global pandemic, we are thrilled to bring the brilliance of the Vanua Championship once again to the fans.
“We extend our well-wishers to
all the participating teams. We are eager to see the fans enjoy the exciting experiences in the clash of the provinces on the field after a lapse of two years.”
O’Connor said: “The vanua clubs have a lot to play for this year especially after they had no competition due to the second wave of COVID-19 last year.
“We expect firepower from the first round of the championship. The unions have been doing their pre-season training well and are eagerly waiting to begin with the competition.”
The winner and runners-up of the 2022 Vodafone Vanua Championship will feature in the Skipper Fiji Rugby Championship next season.
FRU CEO said while promotion into the Skipper Cup is the incentive for teams, this championship provides a battleground week in and week out for the players to enjoy the game they love and play their best rugby.
“Its most accessible for fans with high-class rugby available in all the regions where people can truly stand proud for their local heroes and teams”
“We would also like to thank BLK for supplying the playing kits for the 16 participating teams” he added.
Meanwhile, the 16 unions are divided into four pools and the winner and runner-up qualify for the quarterfinal.