Fibre network operator (FNO) Frogfoot and fibre rivals have joined forces to invest in the development of a national schools rugby sevens tournament.
This comes as demand in the local fibre market continues to witness growth, resulting in fibre operators making significant financial gains over the last few years.
Frogfoot, together with its partners Vodacom, Vox, Cool Ideas, Afrihost and Joule Energy Solutions, have introduced the Frogfoot Sevens tournament that will take place over the next three years.
In a statement, Frogfoot says the tournament will be held at various schools around the country, starting on 20 August through to October, ending at Loftus Versfeld stadium in Pretoria on 5 November.
The FNO indicates nine schools have been brought on board to host 10 game days, and each will invite 16 opponent schools for a day of under-17 games.
The host schools are in Eastern Cape, Limpopo, Free States, Mpumalanga, Gauteng, Northern Cape and Western Cape.
Miranda Du Preez, head of brand activations at Frogfoot, says the idea was born from the wish to provide another platform for SA’s talented school players to shine.
“This is an exciting opportunity for under-17 school players to test their skills against schools nationally, with the opportunity to play on one of the best fields in South Africa if they make it to the final.”
Rugby sevens is a fast, high-scoring version of traditional rugby, played between two teams of seven players who have 14 minutes to advance.
The Frogfoot Sevens tournament games will be live-streamed on the SEI sport YouTube channel and rebroadcast on SABC 2 on Saturdays.
Vodacom executive head of FTTH: sales and marketing Strini Michael says as one of the internet service providers (ISPs) on the Frogfoot network, Vodacom Fibre wanted to further solidify its partnership and support a sport that brings people and families together.
Vox head of strategic marketing Blanka Sulentic says Vox has been partnering with Frogfoot in the delivery of fibre connectivity to local communities it serves, and so partnering for the competition brings further synergy to their relationship and allows partners to engage, connect and uplift communities through sport.
“The school rugby players have the opportunity to attract the attention of sports scouts looking for new talent. Being a televised event, it’s a perfect opportunity for the young talent to shine.”
Michael Van Onselen, commercial sales manager of ISP Cool Ideas, says the business is always looking for opportunities to support communities, schools and sport in SA.
“Sport has an amazing ability to positively impact society. Whether it's helping children, communities or even nations, sports make a difference on a daily basis. We are looking forward to the Frogfoot Sevens.”
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