The Role of Private Schools in Australian Rugby

[Karl]

"Rugby is like an Onion."

"What, It makes you cry?"

"Well, sometimes...when - but... NO! It-"

"It smells funny?"

"Wha? Well, the change rooms can, but NO! That's not what I-"

When you leavie it out in the sun it gets wrinkly and sprouts little -"

"NO! LAYERS! RUGBY HAS LAYERS, you pathetic, ridiculous-"

"Not everybody likes Onions, layer boy. You know what else has layers? Fashion! Fashion has layers. Everybody likes Fashion, it's pretty."

 

[PaarlBok]

There can be a lot of improvement by using the money Oz rugby has more wisely but our main problem is that we have too much competition from rugby league and Aussie rules which the RSA and NZ don't have.

With 15 professional Oz rugby league teams and 17 pro AFL teams and only 5 pro rugby union teams (and no semi pro Currie Cup or NPC) we get a small portion of the TV sporting dollar and have to use what we get wisely. All the 3N countries have soccer but I wonder how well the RSA or NZ would do with those numbers of pro teams in the other footie codes?

Maybe not as well.

But I digress: there is only so much money to use in missionary work to get young players into our code instead of the others, including targeting state schools.

There have been a lot of ideas expressed in the Schools forum but the first step is to work out how to work smarter with the money we have.

In SA schoolboy sport (including rugby) recieved nothing from Saru or the government in the bigger sports schools in this area. I dunno the way Aus going about their rugby and sport but here we have big sportsdays between schools. In winter when Paarl Gym play against Outeniqua (George) you'll have 20+ rugby teams, 7 boys hockey teams, 15 girls hockey and 20 girls netball teams playing each other = 600 rugby players, 500 hockey players, 300 netball players = 1400 sport players x parents + supporters and it mean easily 5000 people on a saturday visiting the sportgrounds from 8 am to 2 pm. At Paarl Gym we have a very strong supporting base (parents, teachers, old boys/girls) in school sport. Our OOV (Ouer,Onderwyser Vereniging) in english translated Parent, teacher Committee, starting at the president who made a committee with one parent in each grade (8-12) who have one parent in each class working with him to organise fund raising. On these sport days this parents and teacher will provide the refreshments (cool drinks, hot dogs, hamburgers, exct) to all the supporters. Myself a very urgent line walker and supporter braai boerewors and hamburger patties on saturday mornings from 6 am and we all work together with the teachers to help sport in the school to be healthy. Myself serve for a long time on the field hockey committee and helping our hockey organiser with projects to grow the game at Paarl Gym. These funds is our sport organiser (Louis Koen the x Bok flyhalf) budget and have the help of a cricket organiser (Martin vd Merwe , x Titan player) and Joel van Eeden (hockey legend) to do their jobs. Their main job is to organise , the sports field maintenance (Paarl gym have the best facilities in SA), leading and organising the coaches (we pay them a few bucks for their time) and organise the fixtures (this have to be done one year in advange) We as parents also help finding sponsors (all Paarl Gym U13 and U18A teams have Puma on board and they are sponsorred all their clothing)and do the hard craft needed. We sure dont need Saru or the ANC to drive our sport and rugby in spesific. Line walking when you kid is playing is much more a habit then smoking or drinking. It give me as a parent the oppertunity to relive my own sportlife all over again and giving the kid oppertunities myself could only have dream about.

Our schoolboy sport is the heart of our rugby culture. Get the 6 year addicted to rugby and he and is family will be addicted to the biggest drug thinkable. Our schools also have what we call interschools. Thats where we discover rivalry. Paarl Gym and Paarl Boishaai is the biggest choolboy rugby interschools in world rugby and this unbelievable interschools drive you'll find even between the two smallest rugby school in SA. Its the one rugby match of the year for our kids that makes him or her rugby/hockey/cricket/chess/golf season.

 

[PaarlBok]

Need to add that this is the way we do it in a public school with achool fees of R10,000 per year. Private schools next dorr like Bishops and Rondebosch have school fees of R150,000 per year. Their sport budget comes from their school fees.

 

[Bowside]

In SA schoolboy sport (including rugby) recieved nothing from Saru or the government in the bigger sports schools in this area. I dunno the way Aus going about their rugby and sport but here we have big sportsdays between schools. In winter when Paarl Gym play against Outeniqua (George) you'll have 20+ rugby teams, 7 boys hockey teams, 15 girls hockey and 20 girls netball teams playing each other = 600 rugby players, 500 hockey players, 300 netball players = 1400 sport players x parents + supporters and it mean easily 5000 people on a saturday visiting the sportgrounds from 8 am to 2 pm. At Paarl Gym we have a very strong supporting base (parents, teachers, old boys/girls) in school sport. Our OOV (Ouer,Onderwyser Vereniging) in english translated Parent, teacher Committee, starting at the president who made a committee with one parent in each grade (8-12) who have one parent in each class working with him to organise fund raising. On these sport days this parents and teacher will provide the refreshments (cool drinks, hot dogs, hamburgers, exct) to all the supporters. Myself a very urgent line walker and supporter braai boerewors and hamburger patties on saturday mornings from 6 am and we all work together with the teachers to help sport in the school to be healthy. Myself serve for a long time on the field hockey committee and helping our hockey organiser with projects to grow the game at Paarl Gym. These funds is our sport organiser (Louis Koen the x Bok flyhalf) budget and have the help of a cricket organiser (Martin vd Merwe , x Titan player) and Joel van Eeden (hockey legend) to do their jobs. Their main job is to organise , the sports field maintenance (Paarl gym have the best facilities in SA), leading and organising the coaches (we pay them a few bucks for their time) and organise the fixtures (this have to be done one year in advange) We as parents also help finding sponsors (all Paarl Gym U13 and U18A teams have Puma on board and they are sponsorred all their clothing)and do the hard craft needed. We sure dont need Saru or the ANC to drive our sport and rugby in spesific. Line walking when you kid is playing is much more a habit then smoking or drinking. It give me as a parent the oppertunity to relive my own sportlife all over again and giving the kid oppertunities myself could only have dream about.

Our schoolboy sport is the heart of our rugby culture. Get the 6 year addicted to rugby and he and is family will be addicted to the biggest drug thinkable. Our schools also have what we call interschools. Thats where we discover rivalry. Paarl Gym and Paarl Boishaai is the biggest choolboy rugby interschools in world rugby and this unbelievable interschools drive you'll find even between the two smallest rugby school in SA. Its the one rugby match of the year for our kids that makes him or her rugby/hockey/cricket/chess/golf season.

Our big rugby schools have very similar set up's to what you mention. But at most (certainly not all) of the state-run schools their is no school rugby culture. There is not many male teachers to coach the teams, parental involvement isn't encouraged or expected to the same extent, and the ARU doesn't provide them with any competition's to play in. This is why it is such a shame, because in my eyes at least the problem is not money but the actual culture and efforts of those who run rugby.

 

[PaarlBok]

Our big rugby schools have very similar set up's to what you mention. But at most (certainly not all) of the state-run schools their is no school rugby culture. There is not many male teachers to coach the teams, parental involvement isn't encouraged or expected to the same extent, and the ARU doesn't provide them with any competition's to play in. This is why it is such a shame, because in my eyes at least the problem is not money but the actual culture and efforts of those who run rugby.

Our big rugby schools (Grey Bloem, Affies, Paarl Gim & BoysHigh) dont play in any official competitions other then the Wilde Klawer Top 14. Its only a three day Top14 but not a official throphe or championship. We do have the Beeld competition in the Brutes/Lions catchment area sponsorred by the newspaper but absolute no SARU funding. Affies (Wit Bulle) withdraw two years back end preffer the Grey/Paarl schools route of playing the top schools one year home and the next year away basis, including also field hockey and other winter sports.

I think the best way to start rugby at the above mentioned schools is that it need to be driven by a or parents of the school kids. Your target area is to start with the 6 year olds and build from there. Have to get the Principal and teachers on board to get going.