T. NashipaeNarok County's rugby revolution is taking off
Reading Time: 3min | Mon. 15.05.23. | 20:11
the Narok Rugby Union and the Maa Warriors team are empowering youth, building sports infrastructure, and aiming to establish Narok as a rugby powerhouse, while also preserving the county's abundant wildlife and rich cultural heritage
Narok County, located in the South Western part of Kenya, is renowned for its abundant wildlife and rich cultural heritage. It has long been a popular tourist attraction site.
However, beneath the surface of this picture lies a hidden passion that is gaining momentum – the growth of rugby. The sport has emerged as a symbol of progress and ambition as the county aspires to elevate its status to a municipality level.
The county, nicknamed ‘Maa Land’ is home to Maa Warriors, a rugby team that has had its equal share of challenges since its inception. The team was formed in 2016 but was off to a slow start before the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic which saw it collapse.
Learning from the lessons of the past, a rugby enthusiast and a business strategist, Gakari Thomas led a team of rugby fans and players to form the Narok Rugby Union in 2021 with the objective of establishing Narok as a rugby powerhouse a step at a time. The union has since led the team to challenge establishing a rugby club and now boasts of high-quality large rugby players from the local community.
Since last year, as part of their strategic plan to give the team experience, the union has organized friendlies against neighboring teams like Molo RFC and Nakuru RFC. The Warriors train at the Ole Ntimama Stadium. The last tournament hosted at the stadium was on Sunday 7 May when they played against Molo RFC, Nakuru RFC, and Bomet RFC.
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One of the driving forces behind the growth of the sport in the county is its impact on youth empowerment. The team provides young boys and girls with a platform to not only develop their sporting abilities but also hone their character and leadership skills.
According to Narok Rugby Union (NRU) Chairman JohnJack Simiren, the sport is essential as it instills life skills in young people in the county.
"We are targeting to grow rugby in Narok as it instills discipline, resilience, and a strong work ethic in our players, influencing success both on and off the pitch. Rugby has offered players an alternative to negative influences and given them a sense of purpose and direction,” Simiren told Mozzart Sport.
As the interest in the sport continues to surge in the county, there has been corresponding investment in sports infrastructure. The Secretary-General Thomas Gakari noted that the Union aims at utilizing the large empty acres of land in the county to construct a rugby stadium that will be self-sufficient. The development of rugby infrastructure will not only benefit the rugby community but also bolster the county’s appeal as a sports tourism destination.
“We are also aiming at constructing our own rugby stadium that will entail everything including our offices, a gym, a medical clinic, a media center, and so on. This sport has the potential of growth in this region,” Gakari added.
The Narok rugby team, Maa Warriors will join the nationwide league next season with the Chairman foreseeing a future where the Warriors will play the Kenya Cup league.
Maa Land will play host to the Mara 10s scheduled for November this year. The tournament will be a build-up ahead of the Great Wildebeest Migration 7s set for July next year( 2024) (during the wildebeests’ migration).
