Zimbabwe referee, board member and match official coach Abigail Kawonza is one of the 12 finalists in the #TryandStopUs campaign launched by Rugby Africa continentally on Monday.
Zimbabwe Rugby Union posted on their Facebook page congratulating her”Congratulations ZRRS president and ZRU Board Member for being selected as one of the Rugby Africa’s Unstoppables”
#TryandStopUs campaign is meant to scale up the involvement of women in rugby continentally.The social media campaign features 12 inspirational women and girls with ‘unstoppable’ qualities and will run over a period of three months, showcasing the diversity of the continent with ambassadors from Botswana, Côte d’Ivoire, Egypt, Ghana, Kenya, Madagascar, Namibia, Senegal, South Africa, Tunisia, Uganda and Zimbabwe. All trailblazers in their very own way with compelling stories.
Rugby Africa had called on all women in rugby across its member unions to share their inspiring stories to become one of the “Unstoppables” in the campaign. Over 60 women from 19 countries impressed the judges with their compelling stories of excellence, opportunity and inspiration and just what it takes to become ‘Unstoppable.’
Rugby Africa is raising the profile and promoting women in rugby for a sustained change in the perception and diversity of the sport. Current data estimates that 26 per cent of the rugby players in Africa are female. An area that needs a special focus is the representation of female coaches and match officials as this is very low.
Khaled Babbou, President of Rugby Africa explains on behalf of the Executive Committee, “We want to do something very impactful and sustainable for all women in rugby on the continent to get players, fans and sponsors interested in the game. Our goal is to uplift the “Unstoppables” and the women in rugby beyond this campaign. We have a long-term vision and commitment. Africa is a big rugby market as the latest Nielsen report shows, conducted by World Rugby and one of the fastest growing markets in the world. It is such an untapped market in terms of athletic potential, growth opportunities and market penetration – especially for the women. As the individual stories of the campaign show, there are really strong women coming out of Africa.”
Paula Lanco, Rugby Africa Executive Member and Chairperson of the Women’s Rugby Advisory Committee is excited to launch the Try And Stop Uscampaign: “It has been great to see the success of the World Rugby campaign started globally in 2017, and to now feature the phase 2 our African “Unstoppables.” From 2012 until 2018 there has been an immense growth in Women’s Rugby in Africa – from 50’000 to over 260’000 registered players”.
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