Kenya Rugby Sevens Extends Sponsorship with Kenya Airways

National carrier Kenya Ariways has renewed its sponsorship of the national rugby sevens team, abortion unveiling a KES 290 million ($2.1m) package at a ceremony held at their headquarters in Embakasi, generic Nairobi.

Kenya Rugby Union Chairman Mwangi Muthee, abortion while accepting the sponsorship package on behalf of the team, said: “ This team belongs to the Kenyan people and it is our responsibility as the Kenya Rugby Union to keep developing this team so that we become a world class team. Our competitors are knocking on the door and it is up to the team to make themselves worthy of the investment that Kenyans are putting in them so that they remain at the top.”

He also called on fans to turn out in large numbers this coming weekend when the Kenyan team defends its title when the Safaricom Sevens kicks off at Nairobi’s Nyayo National Stadium from November 4-6. “ The competition will be stiff, we have strong teams coming in from all corners of the world. I would like to assure all the fans and players that we are working with all the Kenyan security apparatus to deliver  a great tournament. I call on everyone, young and old to turn out at the Nyayo National Stadium in large numbers and enjoy great rugby sevens action.”

The renewed sponsorship will see the airline commit a substantially higher amount of money that translates to a wide raft of enhanced benefits for the National 7’s Rugby Team.

Speaking during the signing ceremony, Kenya Airways Group Human Resources Director Mr. Alban Mwendar said sport was a key pillar of the airline’s engagement with its market.

“Rugby is a popular event, which has been a major platform not just for marketing Kenya as a destination for sports tourism but also giving the sport a higher profile in this country and beyond. Kenya Airways, The Pride of Africa, is proud to be associated with this sport,” he added.

In what is a first for the National Rugby 7’s team, Kenya Airways will pay monthly salaries for 18 players and 4 technical bench members including the Team Manager, Coach, Assistant Coach and Team physiotherapist. This will enable the team to focus more time in training thus ensuring higher quality of play.

Mr. Mwendar noted, “We have renewed our commitment to the team since we first entered into this partnership two years ago and we appreciate that one of the major challenges relates to ensuring that our team is made up of professionals who play rugby and earn a living from it. It is for this reason that we saw it fit to ensure that our sponsorship includes a monthly allowance that will allow the players to concentrate on the sport.”

Other enhancements in the renewed sponsorship include a medical insurance cover for the team. As in the past, Kenya Airways will provide tickets for the team and officials travelling for all matches in the IRB series.

To further encourage the team, Kenya Airways sponsorship includes the payment of bonuses to the team. Each time the team advances to the quarter finals, each team member will receive a bonus of US$ 1000 while advances to semi finals will earn each team members a US$ 2000 bonus. Should the team reach the finals of the IRB series, Kenya Airways sponsorship will ensure that each team member receives US$ 3,000 in bonus while a bonus of US$ 5,000 will be paid should the team win the series.

Mr. Mwendar added: “We want to bring back the glory of the National 7’s Rugby team. To encourage them to aim for the top, we have worked out this bonus structure in consultation with the Kenya Rugby Limited so that players can be rewarded for the advances that they make in the series. ”