Last week the financial challenges of our Lakapi Samoa and the Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) were highlighted in the media.
The reports revealed the realities that our small Rugby unions face in delivering a world class rugby team on a budget that would barely fund a European club or New Zealand provincial team.
As I was explaining the Lakapi Samoa’s financial situation to the local media last week as Chairman, the Chairman of the Fiji Rugby Union Trust Board was doing the same in Suva.
He reported that the FRU had been reinstated on the World Rugby Council 15 months after it was suspended for “governance challenges.”
Thankfully Lakapi Samoa remains a member of the World Rugby Council, and we continue to work closely with Chairman Bill Beaumont and its members.
We have tried to manage our debt levels by prioritizing the Manu Samoa international tests and activities.
Our main priority is not to take any short-sighted risks that would bankrupt our union.
What the public also learned is that the FRU had just repaid almost $7 million in debts to its creditors including World Rugby, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Japan, England, Wales, Scotland and France.
Most of the debt was related to the Flying Fijians’ participation in international rugby tours and tournaments.
The FRU Chairman and Board must be congratulated for this great effort to clear their debts and be reinstated to the World Rugby Council.
One big challenge is that Samoa does not have the same pool of players or corporate sponsorship to sustain local and international rugby programmes.
The high number of talented players coming out of the Fiji rugby system every year who enter the Australian, New Zealand and European rugby market allows them to sustain a steady stream of high-performance players.
They even have enough players to field their own team, the Drua, in the Super Rugby competition.
Fiji’s big national companies like Fiji Airways and Fiji Water have joined international sponsors such as Coca Cola and Nike to support the Flying Fijians.
This support has helped Fiji build a winning record with Olympic gold and silver medals, multiple sevens championships and reaching the rugby world cup quarterfinals.
Comparatively, the absence of sustained corporate sponsorship and the size of the Samoan economy makes it hard to maintain a competitive international rugby team.
Lakapi Samoa is also mindful of the high demands on government resources and therefore tries not to add to the Samoa taxpayer’s burden.
The Samoa Government currently has many competing priorities.
Lakapi Samoa started its fundraising efforts last weekend with a radiothon, which is one way to help get us back to financial stability.
But there is still much work to be done.
Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi
Leader of HRPP