Deal reached in Tonga rugby union concerns Featured
17 April, 2016. Tonga's Rugby Union and the Tongan government have agreed to a package of reforms designed to address ongoing governance concerns within the union.
The agreement followed a series of meetings in Nuku'alofa which set out to deliver an equitable solution regarding a number of unresolved administration and governance issues, the union's debt and outstanding legal cases.
World Rugby Chairman of the Rugby Committee, John Jeffrey, who attended the meetings, said the support package is a reflection of its collective commitment to rugby in Tonga, and World Rugby's ongoing support of rugby in the Pacific.
"This collaboration and investment will provide an environment to further grassroots development for the wider rugby family in Tonga, while strengthening the high performance environment that provides a dedicated pathway for local players to represent Tonga on the international stage," he said.
The agreed strategies include:
*Establishment of a 10-year tripartite funding agreement, encompassing all annual World Rugby, government and TRU funding, committed to the growth of rugby in Tonga in line with good governance criteria
*Establishment of a joint management committee - comprising representatives of World Rugby, Tongan government and the TRU to oversee all aspects of the TRU high-performance programme
*The re-establishment of the Tonga National Rugby Academy to include world-class player pathways and player welfare programmes to provide locally based players with a clear pathway to national team selection
*A restructure of the World Rugby development investment programme to facilitate the re-invigoration of competitions in the outer islands, including 'Eua, Ha'apai and Vavau.
The Tongan team huddle together following their Rugby World Cup defeat to Argentina.
RNZI
2 comments
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The above would be possible if TRU has money .. I guess "beggars had no choice.." The Government must now have a saying on how rugby is run and with their ongoing support hopefully Tonga will manage to bring some International games to Teufaiva soon.. It is well documented that islands rugby (Fiji, Tonga , Samoa) have huge issues with money.. How did TRU accrued this amount of debt for the last few years. Past administrator must account for whatever mess they have done while they were part of the TRU. In doing so prevented any future mismanagement in terms of IRU funds. We cannot afford to let them go easily without knowing how TRU earn such a huge debt. The new venture will also benefit from regular auditing in the future to ensure such mishap won't happen again.
Good luck guys -
WRONG STRATEGY FOR MODERN TONGAN RUGBY...A blank check for TRU administrators to abuse, obviously.
1. Tonga Rugby should be able to bring world-class rugby to Tonga without Government money, but with IRB World Rugby help.
2. Government money means bureaucratic interference with management. The CEO and management should have autonomous "agency" to run operations alone.
2. TRU should obtain funds from professional clubs overseas who are benefiting from Tongan players for development. These professional clubs are getting Tongan talents without spending a penny for local development.