15, 16, 17 and 18-year-old rugby players can now develop their rugby to another level at home after the Fijian Drua launched the Drua Foundation.
The Fijian Drua says the Foundation is set up to achieve a number of goals for the betterment of the communities of Fiji through rugby development, health and education, social outreach and inclusivity.
They says the Club has spent the past year finalising plans for the creation of the Drua Foundation, recognising the impact its brand has on the country.
The Drua adds the Drua Foundation also funds the Drua Academy, Fiji’s most innovative programme where the best rugby players in the Under 16, Under 17 and Under 18 categories are selected and taken through specific programmes to help prepare them to become professionals.
The Club says the Drua Academy currently has 30 boys who are under 16 and will grow to include other age groups and also grow further to include a girls’ team.
Drua CEO and Foundation Trustee Mark Evans says the way they have grown as a Club and as a brand in Fiji has been significant.
He says with this growth in prominence comes a responsibility to the country and to the people of Fiji and the Drua Foundation is a way for the Club, their sponsors, partners and well wishes to contribute towards programmes which benefit the Fijian people in a sustainable and meaningful way.
Evans adds that the pillars they have set up the Foundation – High Performance Pathways, Health & Community, Social Impact – were done to ensure we channel monies connect through the charity towards causes that go directly to the heart of some key issues affecting our people.
He says they are a rugby club so they will work on pathways for kids between 16 to 18 years of age, but they also have the largest fan base in the country who could use the help to take better care of their health and social issues in their communities.
Evans says so the Drua Foundation will devise specific programmes to address needs like this which are unique to different sections of the Fiji community.
The trustees are Fijian Drua CEO Mark Evans, Tewaka Managing Director James Sowane, Law Naivalu Practising Solicitor Mosese Naivalu and Fiji Airways’ Chief Financial Officer Naomi Vuibureta.
The CEO says Olympic gold medal winning Fiji 7s Coach Ben Ryan is also lending his support to the Foundation utilising his breadth of knowledge of Fiji’s rugby talent and his expertise in developing talent in professional football in the UK.
He says individuals and organisations are encouraged to contact the Fijian Drua to discuss how they can contribute to the Drua Foundation through direct donations, endowment of major gift, corporate or workplace donations and naming opportunities.
Meanwhile, the Swire Shipping Fijian Drua will host the Brumbies at 3.35pm tomorrow at the HFC Bank Stadium in Suva for round 1 of the Shop N Save Super Rugby Pacific.
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