Mukoko-Wanyaga pushes for more support for women’s rugby

Former Kenya worldwide Peris Mukoko-Wanyaga desires the ladies’s rugby group to be given the identical therapy as their male counterparts.

“Girls’s rugby is very often simply an afterthought in Kenya as the game is clearly a male-dominated discipline,” mentioned Mukoko.

Mukoko has very a lot seen all of it within the sport of rugby as she went by the ranks from being a fan, a participant (performed for each the nationwide 7s and 15s groups), officiating, educating, and a director on the Kenya Rugby Union.

“Girls don’t get as a lot consideration from the federal government, sponsors and followers although the Lionesses at all times punch above their weight and produce again good outcomes and are very marketable,” she mentioned.

SportPesa lately signed a sponsorship deal value Sh15m and Sh22m for the Nationwide Sevens Circuit and Shujaa respectively.

The ladies’s nationwide 15s facet, Lionesses, are at present the second-best group on the continent as they’re ranked twenty third worldwide, sitting 11 locations behind South Africa.

“Majority of feminine rugby gamers within the nation choose up the game after the age of 18 compared to their male counterparts who averagely begin taking part in rugby at age 14 or earlier,” she revealed.

“We must always take the correct steps to go within the course of Europe, who  lately held a regional Sevens U18 event for ladies (Prague U-18 Sevens Championship).”

“It might be good to see the ladies use a full pitch to coach as an alternative of only a try-box and for them to attend conclusive residential camps, particularly earlier than tournaments,” she mentioned.

The Lionesses are set to compete within the third division of the inaugural version of the WXV, the place they are going to face Colombia, Fiji, Eire, Kazakhstan, and Spain in Dubai from October 14, 2023.

The Lionesses’ Head Coach, Dennis Mwanja, mentioned his group will probably be aiming for nothing wanting victory within the event as they’ve been coaching exhausting since qualifying.