Rugby Africa’s Kawonza pleased with developments in the women’s game

Kawonza pleased with rise of African women’s rugby

JOHANNESBURG, March 12 (ANA) – Zimbabwe Rugby board member Abigail Kawonza says through the efforts of Rugby Africa the women’s game on the continent is making great strides.

Kawonza was named as one of Rugby Africa’s “Unstoppables” – as social media campaign used to highlight immensely successful women in the game in Africa. In her time involved in rugby, Kawonza  has also seen and celebrated many developments, especially in a sport that was largely male-dominated.

Kawonza notes that one of the major developments in her time is: “the widespread acceptance of women taking part in rugby tournaments which has helped to project the sport onto higher platforms and expand its popularity. We have seen a change from just articles to women’s rugby being accepted in Olympics and Commonwealth Games.”

Coralie van den Berg, general manager of World Rugby African Association, Rugby Africa, testifies to this, explaining: “more tournaments including women’s categories are being developed. When unions now launch a new tournament, they tend to always include a women’s category which is a very positive development.”

Kawonza notes that some of the major improvements she has also seen on a global scale is “the increase in funding covering the development of the game in both sevens and the fifteens format as well as younger and stronger players emerging.”

As the industry increasingly makes provision for women, Kawonza also notes an increase in adequate skill levels to showcase great games at any level due to properly accredited coaches taking time to coach women.

“Let’s not forget qualified female technical staff taking the reins” she adds.

Kawonza’s passion for sports and her journey as an “Unstoppable” has also presented more opportunities for her, allowing her to make even wider strides towards opening the industry for other talented women rooting on the other side of the fence.

One of the key achievements being her role as the president of the Zimbabwe Rugby Referees Association which has enabled her to better guide younger referees the game.

Beyond the amazing strides Kawonza has made in her career, her tenure as an Unstoppable has further expanded her impact beyond Zimbabwe’s grounds.

“I appreciate that my influence has gone beyond the Zimbabwean borders as I also work closely with regional and international union boards”, says Kawonza.

“The recognition as an Unstoppable has opened doors for more women in Zimbabwe, and I intend to ride the wave for as long as I can. Taking young match officials and players with me.” – African News Agency (ANA), Editing by Michael Sherman