Crouch, hold, engage! Inaugural women’s league set for kick-off
Impala forward Stella Wafula (left) releases a bullet pass as Impala winger Christabel Lindo (right) looks on during a Kenya Lionesses training session in the past. Impala face Ruckit in their opening Kenya Cup Women’s league match tomorrow.
What you need to know:
- Mugambi noted that by coming closer to qualifying for the next round of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, losing 16-15 to Colombia in August in Nairobi, it was clear the women’s game had grown in leaps and bounds in Kenya
- Six-team Women’s Kenya Cup league begins with three matches in Nairobi
- Rugby 2021/22 Kenya Cup men’s league also begins on Saturday
The start of the inaugural Women’s Kenya Cup league this weekend will herald a new dawn in the game locally.
The new, exciting looking league will feature six teams -- Mwamba, Nakuru, Ruckit, Yamanashi Impala Saracens, Homeboyz and Northern Suburbs, and begins Saturday in Nairobi.
“We have been holding 10-a-side tournaments for women and there is need to grow the game to the next level,” said Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) secretary general Ian Mugambi.
Mugambi noted that by coming closer to qualifying for the next round of the Women’s Rugby World Cup, losing 16-15 to Colombia in August in Nairobi, it was clear the women’s game had grown in leaps and bounds in Kenya.
“To sustain the gains made, we must take the game to the next level, and that can only be realised with consistent 15s tournaments throughout the year,” said Mugambi. “Some top Kenya Cup teams have established 15s systems for women thus the need to grow that game alongside the men's.”
The brand new women's league will start with Mwamba and Nakuru locking horns at the Rugby Football Union of East Africa grounds from 11am.
Ruckit and Impala will duel at Impala Club from 1pm with Homeboyz and Northern Suburbs facing off at KCB Sports Club Ruaraka at the same time.
The women’s league will be played alongside the men’s 2021/22 Kenya Cup that also gets underway on Saturday.
Mugambi disclosed that no team will be allowed to field players not fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in the Kenya Cup league. There are six matches on the cards in the men's league.
Kenya Cup will again be played on a one-off, round robin basis with the top four teams qualifying for the semi-final play-offs. The final is slated for March 5.
