Over 100 rugby league players have left Fiji to pursue contracts overseas in the last season and Fiji National Rugby League aims to double the number over the next two years.
FNRL CEO Don Natabe told the media today that he was pleased with the way rugby league was growing creating pathways for players to be able to ply their trade overseas thus earning a good living for themselves and for their families here in Fiji.
Natabe was speaking at the launching of the Vodafone Cup competition which will comprise of 16 teams from the West and 16 teams from the Central divisions and the likely inclusion of 2 teams from the North.
“Over the past 24 months we have seen over 100 Fijian players from the Vodafone Cup migrate to Australia to play rugby league in the city and country regions. This is a promising statistics that demonstrates the power of rugby league. Our target is to double that number in the next 18 months.”
Natabe said the sport was gaining ground and working hard to make it a sport of choice in Fiji.
“We have as a proud and resilient sporting nation stood together in tougher times and now we have a wonderful opportunity to once again show our unity and support grassroots development – the FNRL board has set a strategy in tandem with our clubs and will soon set in motion the steps to realizing our aspirations to make FNRL an iconic organization and rugby league a sport of choice in Fiji.”
