KIK Cola Super 16 Junior Rugby Carnival kicks off on Sunday
Friday, 20 March 2015 00:00
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The Super 16 Junior Rugby Carnival, now more popularly known as KIK Cola Super 16, was started by a group of old boys in 2009 to develop the game of rugby by creating opportunities for those under 10 and 12 to play the game in a competitive environment yet have fun doing so and thereby develop their skills and knowledge of the game at an early age and moreover develop a deep love for the game.
The Carnival is played over four rounds at the Royal Sports Complex and the dates for 2015 are 22 March, 19 April, 17 May and 7 June.
Judging by the overall popularity of this event and the improvement in the skill and experience of the junior players in the past six years, there is no doubting the success of this concept, so much so that this event is much-discussed in rugby circles and looked forward to by players/parents and coaches with more schools wanting to participate. Having started with six schools and 14 teams in the first year, this year will see 19 schools from Colombo taking part with over 80 teams and over 900 players participating.
A key success factor has been the generous sponsorships of its financial partners. The financial supported rendered through these sponsorships has enabled the organisers to conduct the carnival in a professional manner without any hindrance or dependency on third parties
In 2011, KIK COLA became the Main Sponsor of this carnival and thereafter it was renamed as the KIK Cola Junior Rugby Carnival and the KIK Cola Sponsorship has continued unbroken since then due to the popularity and positive impact this has had on the junior rugby.
In addition this year LOLC, one of the leading conglomerates in Sri Lanka, has come forward as a Co-Sponsor, throwing its might to support the development of junior rugby.
The game is conducted under the guidelines of the International Rugby Union (IRB) with emphasis on safety, fun and skill development of the kids and in addition the organisers ensure the full safety of the players with an ambulance and doctor in attendance at all times. The Ministry of Education has also approved of this event.
Over 2,000 junior ruggerites have displayed their talent, improved their skills, gained new experiences and shown their love for the oval ball and justified the organisers’ faith in this event over the last six years.
The support of the sponsors – KIK Cola, Referees Society, Royal Sports Complex Authorities, Ministry of Education, participating schools and the sport governing body (school and national) – has been a very important element for the overall success of this event.
Of course the overall winner is the game of rugby and the actual benefit of this event will be seen in the years to come when these players start to represent their respective schools at the senior level and hopefully at national and international level.
The tournament will be managed by a committee of old boys representative of the participating schools.
