Nairobi — The newly-launched university league has been hailed as a gamechanger that will provide useful data to assist professional clubs scout for players within Kenya's institutions of higher learning.
James Kimutai, from Kuza Kizazi - organisers of the 10-week league - said they will be harnessing up-to-date statistics on different players that will enable Kenya Rugby Union (KRU) teams make informed decisions when searching for talent.
"Through data, we will not only be able to identify field talents but also academic details like class attendance and performance. This will enable us develop a database we can present to the clubs in case any of them approaches KUSF (Kenya University Sports Federation). What we have realised is that the world over, the youth set-up is not about talent alone but we need to also look at players' performance in terms of discipline," Kimutai said.
He noted that collecting data to develop statistics on players will not be a tedious process considering the institutionalised setting within which the league is being held.
"We are lucky that we will be playing within an institutionalised setting where the players are students. So, when a club comes and expresses an interest in a player, we will be able to obtain crucial data from the university including class attendance and performance. We'll be able to get the height and weight of the players because the universities have provided us with this information. We are trying to make it simple for the students to graduate to professional ranks and this is a database we will be updating every year," Kimutai explained.
The league, which commences this Saturday, features 16 men's and four women's teams drawn from 18 universities across the country.
The 15-a-side tourney is a partnership between KUSF and KuKi, a talent nurturing organisation and comprises teams from University of Nairobi, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), Kenyatta University, Maseno University, Masinde Muliro University, Technical University of Kenya (TUK), University of Eldoret, KCA University, Cooperative University and Meru University, among others.
JKUAT will be the stage for Round 1 of the league, with University of Eldoret kicking off matters against TUK before Masinde Muliro lock horns with Catholic University of East Africa (CUEA).
Egerton face off with Dedan Kimathi University as the hosts tackle KCA in the last match of the day.
Kimutai encouraged rugby enthusiasts to show up in their numbers while exalting the benefits of the tournament to the players.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
"This league is a way of onboarding players into the corporate world considering there are many of them that have rugby teams. It is a way of enhancing visibility for promising players and opening them up to opportunities to become professionals. We are also keen on enhancing gender equality in line with Sustainable Development Goal No. 5 and mental health in line with SDG No.3," he said.
He was speaking at the University of Nairobi during the launch of the league.
The launch was presided over by Prof Julius Ogeng'o, UoN's deputy vice chancellor in charge of student and academic affairs, who described Kenyan universities as hotbeds of sports talent.
"Our institution places a high premium on sports because it has very many functions beyond improving physical health. We appreciate all those who are partnering with us in talent identification and nurturing them. Universities are a place where students fulfill their potential," Ogeng'o said.
Echoing his sentiments was KUSF president Mbaabu Murithi who exuded confidence that the initiative will expand to encompass other disciplines within institutions of higher learning.
"Universities are an integral cog in talent identification and development. We thank KuKi for picking on rugby and we hope the same will be expanded to other sports disciplines in the future," he said.
