- The grassroots rugby program kicks off in all nine provinces
- Springbok stars to engage with SA youth
- 200 000 boys and girls across South Africa expected to be reached
SOUTH AFRICA: The 2024 edition of the nationwide grassroots, Get Into Rugby (GIR) programme targeted at children aged six to 13 is officially underway and heads to the Free State province on Thursday, 18 July.
A festival event, two days before the world champions’ Test Match against Portugal in Bloemfontein, will take place to officially mark the return of the Engen-sponsored Get Into Rugby season.
The grassroots rugby initiative saw 244 788 boys and girls play the game across all nine provinces of the country in 2023, touching the lives of 114 281 boys and 130 507 girls, who might previously have never experienced organized sport, let alone rugby.
The program also offers young, aspirant rugby coaches, both male and female, an opportunity to develop their rugby coaching skills – a key aspect that aligns with Engen Sports’ values of creating a holistic platform for youth sport development.
Engen Brand & Sponsorship Manager, Tsholo Tiro, said that Engen was looking forward to another season of impacting and contributing to the growth of rugby in South Africa through the programme.
“The Engen Get Into Rugby program is quite important to Engen due to its unique ability to reach children at the grassroots level,” said Tiro.
“Over the years, sport has proven to be a fundamental aspect of the growth of children. As proud sponsors of this program, Engen takes pride in contributing to a unique platform that encourages not only sport development, but the holistic development of the children to ensure that rugby and society benefit from well-groomed future rugby players.”
The festival in Bloemfontein will be visited by Springbok players to add inspiration and impetus to the young players, while Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby emphasized the importance of providing new experiences and opportunities to young people.
“The Get Into Rugby program has successfully introduced hundreds of thousands of children to rugby and sport over the many years and we’re grateful for Engen’s continued support,” said Oberholzer.
“This program is the first rung on a ladder that leads to our men’s and women’s Springbok teams. But, as much as that, it offers an opportunity to play organized sport for many children who would not ever have the chance to experience it.”
 programme targeted at children aged six to 13 is officially underway and heads to the Free State province on Thursday, 18 July.){kind=link}