Nyamita empowering Kisumu Girls through rugby
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Reading Time: 3min | Thu. 18.04.24. | 11:20
Nyamita notes that girls' rugby was a sleeping giant,
Former Maseno School rugby coach Paul Nyamita hopes to achieve greater heights with Kisumu Girls. Nyamita coached Maseno School boys’ rugby for a decade, leading them to several Federation of East Africa Secondary Schools Sports Association (FEASSSA) victories, he is optimistic about achieving a similar feat with Kisumu Girls.
Nyamita, a teacher by profession, introduced rugby to Kisumu Girls in January. Two months later, the team competed in the girls’ nationals in Machakos. The girls’ matches ran concurrently with the Kenya Secondary Schools Sports Association's (KSSSA) games.
Despite his team’s rollercoaster performance, the coach was satisfied with their progress and growth. For him, the most important thing was his girls being exposed to high-intensity matches.
“My girls learned about rugby in January. Before that, none of them knew how to pass, ruck, or the basics. I introduced them to rugby, and I trained them on the basics, like what a rugby ball looks like. By mid-February, they had learned, and we competed and represented Nyanza. It means that we are trying, and you can imagine the exposure after that performance at the national level,” he told Mozzart Sport.
The coach further observed that coaching girls felt easier compared to coaching boys. He explained that girls often demonstrate a higher level of attention to detail and are more inclined to communicate openly about their understanding of the game, making it simpler to address any areas needing improvement.
“I coached Maseno for 10 years, and we won all the titles from East Africa, regional, and national. I can compare what it takes to coach girls. It is easier to coach girls because they can get the concept within a very short time. What boys could struggle to get within two weeks, the girls get within three days. That helped us achieve a lot within those few days,” he revealed.
On the challenges he faced when introducing the new sport to the school, Nyamita said, “All my players were so new to the game. They did not know what rugby was. Some of my colleagues did not understand what I was doing, and they kept discouraging the girls. The parents, too, were not receptive. I had to convince them that rugby was a sport just like any other.”
Nyamita noted that girls' rugby was a sleeping giant. He was confident that if given the necessary support and backing, they would be a force to be reckoned with.
His sentiments were echoed by Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) Chairman Sasha Mutai, who noted that they were keen to give the girls and women avenues to grow their skills. Mutai revealed that they were in the advanced stages of ensuring that girls’ rugby was included in the KSSSA rugby 15s system, emphasizing that they are the future of the Lionesses.
“KRU financed the women’s rugby, and we want it to be included in the KSSSA system. We want to build them to be the next Lionesses. We are giving them avenues to develop their skills. Even in the upcoming Super Series, the women will be featuring for the first time. We are putting a lot of resources into women’s rugby. These are exciting times for Kenya Rugby,” he offered.
The Rugby Super Series will kick off on May 4, with women’s rugby allocated two franchises.
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