Ba Rugby Union is focused on enhancing the skills of coaches, referees, medics, and strength and conditioning coaches across the province as part of its development strategy. BRU secretary Pastor Gaby Katoga highlighted the challenges posed by the vast area they cover, stating, “It’s a big area to cover.” He explained that following the disruptions caused by COVID-19, they essentially restarted their programs last year, and the geographical distance between clubs presents logistical and financial hurdles in organizing training clinics.
While the Fiji Rugby Union has been providing support, their development budget is also constrained. In 2024, they have conducted seven days of clinics and now need to increase their financial contribution to continue these efforts. In the upcoming week, BRU and FRU will host level two clinics for men’s head coaches across eight tikina.
Kautoga emphasized that progress is expected to unfold at the tikina level, stating that if they can elevate the eight head coaches from the Ba Industries Cup to level two, these coaches can relay their knowledge to women’s and under-19 coaches as well as clubs, creating a mentorship pathway for coaching development. If all goes according to plan, Ba Rugby aims to assist these coaches in achieving level three certification in 2025 while concurrently helping other talented coaches in each tikina to begin their level two training.