For each round, teams competing in the 2024 Nile Special 7s Series must submit squad lists of twelve players (with a thirteenth as reserve). These players must be on the sixty-man squad for the season and are usually picked from amongst those who have trained in the days/weeks leading up to the round.
Typically, for each round, each team holds two on-pitch training sessions from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. during the week leading up to it. Players are expected to supplement these team sessions with personal roadwork or the gym, which is at least two hours per session.
A player spends not less than eight hours per week to prepare him/herself. The series is played on Saturday and Sunday, with the Friday before reserved for travelling to the venue in case of upcountry rounds. Thus, as a bare minimum, a player invests twenty-eight hours per week to participate in just one round of the 2024 Nile Special 7s Series.
Out of curiosity, one asks oneself: how much money does a player spend to play in the 2024 Nile Special 7s Series?
Kawowo Sports worked with Stuart Mwayi last week to get a glimpse into how he prepared, with a focus on the finances, for the Mbarara 7s. Mwayi is a KCB KOBs playmaker and was the Uganda Rugby Cranes U20 national team vice-captain in the 2023 Rugby Africa U20 Barthes Trophy.
Mwayi, turning twenty-one next month, has been the most consistent player for KCB KOBs Rugby Club in this series. He has featured in all six rounds, filling the big shoes of KOBs’ playmakers Joseph Aredo and James Ijongat in their absence, and playing alongside Karim Arinaitwe, Calvin Gizamba, and captain Ibrahim Khemis. He has scored twenty-one tries thus far.
This is a breakdown of how much Stuart Mwayi spent on rugby from Monday morning to Sunday evening during the week of the Mbarara 7s.
EXPENDITUREFREQUENCYUNIT SPEND (UGX)TOTAL SPENT (UGX)1 TransportFor on-pitch training sessions (Monday, Tuesday & Thursday)315,00045,000Gym (Monday & Wednesday)220,00040,000Returning home after the tournament120,00020,0002 Medical billInjury treatment1150,000150,0003 Playing kitBody tights115,00015,000Boots1200,000200,0004 Self-careSalon (hair job)130,00030,000TOTAL SPENT500,000
In total, Mwayi spent UGX 500,000 (five hundred thousand Uganda shillings) during that week. The figure is blown out of “expected average” range by one-time expenditure on the medical bill (to treat injuries sustained during the previous Kyabazinga 7s round) and playing kit (a new pair of boots).
The expenditure does not include meals because Mwayi lives with his parents, so he happily eats at home. Additionally, expenses like the internet have not been included because he uses data bundles purchased for his daily communication.
Mwayi’s earnings from rugby in the same period pale in comparison to his expenditure. He received the weekly players’ allowance from his club and the winning bonus from the series title sponsor for winning the men’s Mbarara 7s.
SOURCEFREQUENCYUNIT COST (UGX)TOTAL COST (UGX)1 Players’ allowance (for training, travelling & matchday)KCB KOBs1100,000100,0002 Winning bonus (for winning Mbarara 7s)Sponsor’s Prize money160,00060,000TOTAL EARNINGS160,000
The players’ allowance covers transport, training and matchday bonuses. The winning bonus of UGX 1,000,000 (one million Uganda shillings) was shared onsite at Kakyeka among the thirteen players, plus their coach, physiotherapist, and team manager.
KOBs win the 2024 Mbarara 7s men’s Cup. Credit: John Philip Mugabi
In total, Mwayi made a paltry UGX 160,000 (one hundred sixty thousand Uganda shillings) from rugby last week.
It does not require rocket science for one to see that, on average, players spend more than they earn from playing rugby in Uganda, even at the top of the pyramid. While the sport of rugby is growing as a business and financial ecosystem, it is still at the amateur level and this is one of the painful realities.
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