Nairobi — National women's rugby team player Judith Auma is the latest to call for increased support to women's game in the country.
Auma said Kenya is blessed with talented rugby players who can go far if they are provided with the same level of funding as their male counterparts.
"The potential is there...what is required is funding for the women's game. Most of the funding has focused mostly on the male teams compared to the women. Rugby cannot grow without proper funding and the same goes for female players. We need kits...means of travelling for matches, for which at this time, many teams are struggling to meet," the Impala RFC captain said.
Auma bemoaned the fact that women's rugby in Kenya has thus far been dominated by Impala and arch-rivals Mwamba RFC while other teams only feature as also-rans.
"If you look at Impala, most of us, if not all, play for the national team (Lionesses). On the other hand, almost half of Mwamba RFC also feature for the national team. I would urge the rugby stakeholders, including corporate sponsors, to also consider the women's game when pumping money into the sport. I think we have like six strong teams but apart from us two (Impala and Mwamba), the other teams like Nakuru RFC have young players who are only just starting out," she pointed out.
Auma is expected to be among players who will don the national colours in October as Kenya compete in the World Rugby XV Division 3 Tournament in Dubai.
The Lionesses will also feature in the qualifiers for next year's Paris Olympics slated for Zambia.
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Auma is expectant of good things from the two tournaments and is already dreaming of featuring for the national team at the quadrennial games once again.
"Yeah, we have to qualify...I am looking forward to playing at the Olympics. We have a team that is quite equipped to take on any team on its best day so I am confident," she said.
Auma led her team to the Christie Sevens title over the weekend, following a 27-7 over Kulabu at the RFUEA Grounds in Nairobi.
This was Impala's fourth straight title in the National Sevens Circuit, following their win in Kisumu (Dala Sevens), Mombasa (Driftwood Sevens) and Nakuru (Prinsloo Sevens).
"The victory in Nairobi was much easier than in Nakuru. It was much easier than we anticipated. Maybe because we didn't have to travel outside of the city compared to the Prinsloo Sevens and other competitions," she added.
