The Ba Rugby Union has received a major boost ahead of their 2024 Skipper Cup campaign after Vinod Patel signed a three-year sponsorship with the union, capturing the naming rights to their Men’s 15s team.
The team will now be known as Vinod Patel Ba.
The sponsorship comes as a huge boost to the side as they prepare to compete in the Skipper Cup for the first time in 26 years.
Vinod Patel CEO Rahul Amin says this is so much more than branding and marketing as Ba is part of their corporate DNA.
Amin says their humble beginnings began in 1962 when their late visionary Founder Vinod Chandra Patel, set up a small hardware shop in Ba.
He says their story is built on vision, excellence and hard work and they are indeed proud to back another team from their hometown that has the right disciplines, a pursuit for excellence and a vision for greatness.
He adds what’s equally important is that the organisation believe in the power of sports to unite people and change lives and they want to invest in Ba Rugby as a way to empower the people of Ba, especially in the remote and rural areas and particularly the youths.
Ba Rugby head coach and former Flying Fijians winger Vilimoni Delasau says this is such a proud moment for Ba Rugby and him personally.
Delasau says Ba Rugby and Vinod Patel have been with him all his life. He says they are under no illusion as to the size of the task ahead of them in the Skipper Cup, competing with powerhouses like Nadroga, Nadi and Naitasiri.
Delasau says this financial injection from Vinod Patel means that they will be able to help the players with their travel costs - which is a big barrier for those coming down from the highlands.
He also says they will also be able to kit the team out properly and purchase much-needed training equipment.
Meanwhile, the Ba Rugby Union’s 35-man squad has been training together at Vinod Patel Park in Ba since December in preparation for their opening match against Suva at the HFC Stadium on 24th February.
The 2024 Skipper Cup Competition will kick off on the 24th of this month.
