It has long been acknowledged that US college sports is a factory for Olympic medallists.
Most of the members of the USA Team at the Olympic Games have one thing in common; they are former college athletes.
For years, South African school rugby has been the bedrock of Springbok rugby, the country's strongest sports brand. Many schools have invested heavily in the game and over time a handful of schools were widely acknowledged as bona fide South African rugby factories.
This investment at the grassroots level has been nurtured as players graduate through the ranks, and it is no small wonder that South Africa, with four titles (1995, 2007, 2019, 2023), has won the World Cup more times than any other country.
Schools rugby will enjoy another shot in the arm with the launch of the King Price Derby Series today and continues until August 30. It will feature 55 matches over 18 weeks, with generous TV coverage.
South Africa's rugby schools are among the best in the world and produce a steady stream of world-class rugby players. Some schools have hired professional coaches and implemented high-performance programmes. Some also use professional conditioning coaches and have created a high-performance set-up.
Provantage Sport's managing director, Xhanti-Lomzi Nesi, the former Head of Rugby at SuperSport, spearheads a new school rugby series, the King Price Derby Series. Provantage is one of Africa's largest media and marketing companies.
Nesi said the series will give South Africans access to the best school rugby in the world every Saturday on the SuperSport Schools (Channel 216). It will also be available on DStv EasyView and SABC. This will expand the accessibility of school sports content, giving young athletes, parents, and sports enthusiasts another platform on which to follow the action.
“Sports interest in South Africa is at an all-time high. The Nielsen Fan Insights SA show a top-2 level of interest in at least one sport. This is up from 93% in 2023, showing an exciting trend," said Nesi
"The sporting codes that led this trend were rugby, cricket, cycling, and athletics having experienced notable year-on-year growth in fan interest.
"Did you know that in 2024, more South Africans are interested in a broader range of sports than last year? For instance, rugby interest has increased by 14% from 2023 to 2024.”
"The South African sports industry stands at the cusp of a golden age of value creation through thoughtful fan-first strategic thinking in this new age.
"We’ve seen the incredible success of the Schools SA20 (a national cricket competition) growing year on year. We’ve witnessed the reinvigoration of interest in local football, with the most recent Soweto derby drawing a cumulative audience of 3.7 million viewers across SuperSport and SABC.
"The pattern is clear; South Africans love sport and when it is packaged well, simplified and easily communicated, fans engage. The Schools SA20 does that.
"The Boks do that incredibly well and various industry players are starting to do it more so locally. If we continue to do this well, we’ll continue to witness overall increases in sports sponsorship investments.
"Rugby holds an unmatched position in the South African sporting hierarchy. The Springbok brand alone is valued at R2.2 billion, placing it among South Africa’s top 50 most valuable brands.
"Beyond the national team, rugby enjoys deep grassroots engagement, with schoolboy and club rugby playing a crucial role in talent development."
Some of the schools participating are Paarl Gymnasium, Paarl Boys’ High, Durban HS, Maritzburg College, Oakdale High, Boland Landbou, King Edward VI, Jeppe High, Rondebosch Boys HS and Bishops. | Independent Media Sport