Dialog props up schools rugby with Rs. 65 m three-year sponsorship

From left: Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association Deputy President Susantha Mendis, Sri Lanka Rugby Football Referee Association President Tony Amith, Asia Rugby Chairman – Competitions and High Performance Asanga Seneviratne, Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association President B.A. Abeyratne, Dialog Axiata Group Chief Marketing Officer Amali Nanayakkara, Sri Lanka Rugby President Lasitha Gunerathna, Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association Secretary Nirodha Wijerama and Dialog Axiata Senior General Manager – Brand and Media Harsha Samaranayake 

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• Dialog Schools Rugby League kicks off in March 

By Shamseer Jaleel

Dialog Axiata PLC will prop up the schools rugby in the country with a thumping Rs. 65 million three-year sponsorship with Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) which was signed last week.

Dialog Axiata already has a firm hand on the sporting events in the country through the Inter-Club League, National 7s and 15s and Asian Rugby 7s. This will make the company the sole sponsor of boys and men’s rugby in Sri Lanka.

The commitment will have Dialog Axiata pumping in Rs. 65 million for the Schools League and Schools Knockout championships, while covering other age segments (Under-10 to Under-19). This includes monetary grants to each school, within an allocation of Rs. 25 million from the whole package.

The lower division teams too will be getting the dividends when they each receive two playing kits for each player along with rugby balls and other basic items.

The highly-anticipated Dialog Schools Rugby League kicks off in March, following the three-year sponsorship commitment for the Schools Rugby League and Knockout tourneys, by Dialog Axiata, Sri Lanka’s premier connectivity provider and prolific promoter of sports, in line with its vision of investing in our future, today. 

The inaugural game of the Dialog Schools Rugby League will kick off between Dharmaraja College and St. Peter’s College at the St. Peter’s College grounds in Colombo. Division 1 of the league championship will consist of 30 matches played between 12 schools in two groups in a round robin format.

Division 1A of the Dialog Schools Rugby League 2020 consists of Royal College, Colombo; St. Peter’s College, Colombo; St. Joseph’s College, Colombo; Wesley College, Colombo; S. Thomas’ College, Mt. Lavinia; Isipathana College, Colombo; Trinity College, Kandy; Science College, Mt. Lavinia; Kingswood College, Kandy; Vidyartha College, Kandy; St. Anthony’s College, Katugastota; and Dharmaraja College, Kandy. 

A number of 24 more schools will compete under the categories of Division 1B and 1C, while further 24 schools will compete in Division 2 of the Dialog Schools Rugby League. Additionally, Dialog Axiata will also be powering the boy’s Under-10 to Under-18 tourneys, as well as girl’s Under-10 to Under-19 tourneys of Schools Rugby.

Royal College, Colombo, who emerged champions during the last three seasons, will be one of the top contenders, along with St. Peter’s College, Colombo, Isipathana College, Colombo and Trinity College, Kandy. 

The Dialog President’s Knockout Tournament will kick off in June, with the grand finale played at the picturesque Racecourse Ground, Colombo. In 2019, St. Peter’s College, Colombo, emerged winners (18-15) after beating arch rivals, St. Joseph’s College, Colombo in a thrilling final. 

Dialog Axiata Group Chief Marketing Officer Amali Nanayakkara said: “We are proud to enter into a three-year sponsorship agreement with SLSRFA for the Schools Rugby League and Knockout tournaments to empower our champions of tomorrow. 

“This commitment is in line with Dialog’s ethos of investing in our future, today, as exemplified through our sponsorships towards the sport of rugby from the school level to the national level, to support the development of talent that has the potential for excellence in the international arena.”

“This three-year sponsorship agreement between Dialog Axiata and the Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association for the Schools Rugby League and Knockout tourneys is a testament to our dedication towards investing in Sri Lanka’s champions of tomorrow, fostering talent to progress from Schools Rugby to Club Rugby and ultimately to the level of National Rugby and excel in the international arena. 

“As sponsors of schools, club and national rugby, we are committed to developing talent and investing in our future, today, for the sport to reach the highest echelon in the Asian Rugby circuit. I wish the tourney all the success,” she added.

Speaking at the official media launch event, Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association President B.A. Abeyrathne said: “The Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) is pleased to have partnered with Dialog Axiata, one of the leading supporters of sports in Sri Lanka. The Schools Rugby tourney is the most followed sporting event in the school’s sports calendar and the partnership with Dialog Axiata will take the tournament and the sport to the next level. We hope to cultivate good sportsmanship and mutual respect among these players to produce well-rounded athletes.” 

Dialog Axiata is the official sponsor of the Sri Lanka Tuskers, Club Rugby League and the Clifford Cup knockout tourney. Dialog also sponsors the Colombo leg of the Asia 7s championship and is the official sponsor of the Sri Lanka Society of Rugby Football Referees. 

Dialog Axiata is also the proud sponsor of the Sri Lanka National Cricket, Volleyball and Netball teams and the company has a close association with the President’s Gold Cup Volleyball, Junior Volleyball, National Junior and Senior Netball tourneys, Premier Football, Schools Cricket, and Paralympic sports – by powering the Army Para Games, National Para Games and the Sri Lankan contingent to the World Paralympic Games. 

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Division 1C captains