Ghana Rugby Sponsorship Invitation

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Ghana Rugby

Sponsorship Invitation

INDEX

Support Ghana Rugby - Why? 4

Who is Ghana Rugby? 5

How is Ghana Rugby governed and administered? 6

Who is the President of Ghana Rugby, Herbert Mensah? 7

What are the Key Performance Areas (KPAs) of Ghana Rugby? 8

How are the KPAs of Ghana Rugby funded? 9

Corporate sponsorship is the only true solution for now! 10

Programmes requiring corporate sponsorship support. 11

Participation/Youth Development - “Get Into Rugby” - $100k 11

Ghana Rugby Club Championship (GRCC) - $125k 12

Rugby Africa Men’s Sevens Tournament, October 2019 - $110k 12

2019 Rugby Africa Silver Cup (Not hosting) - $150k 13

2019 Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens - $65k 13

Kit & Equipment 14

Maximising brand exposure 14

Our mission is to maximise your exposure and goodwill! 15

“Rugby goes well beyond boys and girls having fun with an oval ball. It is about building character based on the values of

Integrity, Passion, Teamwork, Discipline and Respect”

Herbert Mensah, President of Ghana Rugby

Support Ghana Rugby - Why?

Brand Awareness	CSR - Invest in Character Building

Increased Sales	Brand Goodwill

Positive Brand Association	Brand Excitement

Who is Ghana Rugby?

Ghana Rugby is the official Full Member of both World Rugby and Rugby Afrique in Ghana-West Africa and is responsible for the management and development of the game Rugby Union in the country.

Ghana Rugby was established as a Sports Association in Ghana in 2003, registered as the “Ghana Rugby Association”. The Union currently operates as the “Ghana Rugby Football Union”.

On 5 June 2014 Mr Herbert Mensah was elected unopposed as President of Ghana Rugby and his administration and he inherited a blank sheet after eleven years of rugby with almost no records to show for it.

Since Mensah and his administration took over in 2004 Ghana Rugby achieved the following in fewer than four years:

Introduced a series of governance instruments including a rugby management system for player and tournament management (scrumIT) and a professional accounting system (Sage One Accounting). Ghana Rugby is one of very few Unions that have been able to produce annual audited financial statements since 2015.
Introduced the first ten team domestic club league to ever be played in Ghana.
Introduced a youth development programme based on the World Rugby “Get Into Rugby” programme.
Resuscitated the development of Women’s Rugby in Ghana.
Hosted and won the 2017 Rugby Africa Regional Challenge - West 1 in May 2017.
Received acknowledgement for its achievements with the awarding of Full Membership of World Rugby on 10 May 2017.
Entered the Rugby Africa Men’s Sevens tournament circuit in October 2017 and managed to get a ranking for the first time in 14 years.
Hosted and won the 2018 Rugby Africa Bronze Cup at the Nduom Sports Stadium in Elmina on 12 May 2018 and was promoted to the 2019 Rugby Africa Silver Cup.
Qualified for the 2018 Bronze Cup of the Rugby Africa Men’s Sevens tournament in Tunisia in only the second year of participation in the tournament.

How is Ghana Rugby governed and administered?

Ghana Rugby is governed by a Constitution that provides for the election and appointment of a Board of Directors and a Chief Executive Officer (CEO).

The Ghana Rugby Constitution amended at the 5 June 2014 Annual General Congress (AGC) was replaced in June 2017 and a new Board was elected in September 2017 consisting of Mr Herbert Mensah (President and Board Chairman), Mr Abdul-Aziz Issah, Mr Bismark Amponsah, Mr James Nunoo, Mr Kobina Nyarko, Mr Michael Ako Wilson (GRUPA Representative), Ms Rafatu Inusah (Women’s Representative), Mr Rian Malan (South Africa), and Mr Steve Noi.

The new Constitution also provides for the appointment of Board Members and two appointments were made since September 2017, namely Mr Ernest Hanson and Mr Chester Anie.

The Members of Ghana Rugby consist of the Regional Rugby Associations (RRAs). Currently there are two RRAs namely the Greater Accra Rugby Association (GARA) and the Central & Western Regional Rugby Association (CentWest).

Geographically the country of Ghana has been divided into four Zones with GARA representing Zone 1 (Greater Accra, Volta and Eastern Regions), CentWest representing Zone 2 (Central and Western Regions). Zone 3 (Brong Ahafo and Ashanti Regions) and Zone 4 (Upper West, Upper East and Northern Regions) are currently not represented.

The envisaged operational structure provides for Divisions reporting to the CEO (currently executed by the President and a select Committee) responsible for:

Ghana Rugby - Domestic, youth and women development including training and education (T&E)
Ghana Eagles - The Ghana national representative teams
Planning & Operations - Tournaments and competitions
Corporate Services - Administration and finance
Commercial - Sponsorships and fundraising

Who is the President of Ghana Rugby, Herbert Mensah?

Herbert Mensah, the President and Board Chairman of Ghana Rugby, is a Ghanaian businessman and sports administrator.

Herbert introduced Rugby to Ghana as far back as 1996 when he, as Country Manager for South African based Naspers’ satellite TV channel MNet, organised the Max Brito Extravaganza in Accra-Ghana.

In 1999 he was appointed as Chairman of the renowned football club Kumasi Asante Kotoko and the changes he brought about to lift the club from the gutters earned him the reputation as the man who changed the face of sports administration in Ghana.

Herbert was schooled in the Uk and played Rugby for Mashonaland in Zimbabwe and for Saracens in the UK.

After many years of requests by Rugby clubs in Ghana for Herbert to get involved in the Union’s administration he finally decided to make the move and was elected unopposed as President on 5 June 2014.

As astute businessman he immediately ordered an audit on the state of Rugby in Ghana based on the criteria set by its governing body, World Rugby. As part of this audit he also visited the offices of World Rugby in Dublin to seek guidance and advice.

The audit conducted by Herbert concluded that he had a “zero base” to start the rebuilding process of Ghana Rugby in all aspects of the Key Performance Areas (KPAs) including governance and administration, finance, participation/youth development, training and education, domestic competitions, performance of the national team and development of women’s rugby.

What are the Key Performance Areas (KPAs) of Ghana Rugby?

Governance	Administration	Finance	Participation
AGMs Board	Secretariat Regional Associations Staff Volunteers	Accounting & Auditing Fundraising	Youth development “Get Into Rugby”
Training & Education	Domestic Competitions	Performance “Ghana Eagles”	Women’s Rugby
Coaches Referees S&C Medical	Senior 7s and 15s Junior 7s and 15s Schools	Men’s and Women’s 7s and 15s Senior and junior	Youth Clubs National teams

The running of Rugby is governed by the Rules & Regulations of World Rugby, its governing body. Ghana Rugby falls under the administration of Rugby Africa, one of the regional bodies of World Rugby, and is subject to an annual evaluation based on the above eight KPAs.

The major critical criteria set by World Rugby to become a Full Member was met by December 2016 and included:

A valid and acceptable Constitution
Anti-discrimination Declaration
A Strategic Plan
Jurisdiction & Recognition by the National Olympic Committee
Declaration of abidance to World Rugby’s Regulations & Laws of the Game
A National senior men’s 15’s team
An annual domestic men’s 15’s competition
Four-yearly audited accounts (Ghana Rugby’s accounts are audited annually)

How are the KPAs of Ghana Rugby funded?

The 2018 Ghana Rugby Budget submitted to World Rugby as part of its evaluation and application for funding from the Development Investment Programme indicated a minimum required investment of GHS 2.5 million (GBP 410,000).

Due to revenue available to the Union the required investment fell short substantially and the following actual investments were made since 2015.

GRFU Audited Statements (GHS)
	2015	2016	2017
Revenue	70,000	88,470	241,394
Less Expenses	59,871	299,533	435,141
Net Income	10,129	-211,063	-193,747
Debt Funding	567,245	788,230	936,557
Note: The 2015 debt figure reflect investment loans made by the GRFU President since assuming office on 5 June 2014 till end of the 2015 financial year.

Revenue in 2017 was less than ten percent (10%) of the estimated investment required to fund the operations of Ghana Rugby. The Union has been able operate on a shoestring budget due to support from volunteers and loans from the President, Mr Herbert Mensah.

Sport globally is having a tough time and it is really major Clubs and Unions owned by the very wealthy who are going from strength to strength. The sources of funding open to Ghana Rugby are few and far between:

Government Support - Since 2014 this potential source of funding has been zero. In fact, Ghana Rugby is owed by the governing bodies.	Broadcasting Rights - Rugby rather has to pay the media to get exposure and paying for sport content is out of the question
Gate Proceeds - At this stage of development this is and will be zero for some time to come.	World/Africa Rugby Grants - Although Ghana has received its first grant in 2018, it is a drop in a big bucket.

Corporate sponsorship is the only true solution for now!

Without the support of companies such as Panafrican/Komatsu, Golden Tulip Accra, Gino and Interplast Ghana Rugby would not have been able to take part in the international tournaments in which they managed to both host and achieve the highest success - the 2017 Rugby Africa Regional Challenge and the 2018 Rugby Africa Bronze Cup.

However, if funding had matched the statement of need/budget, Ghana could by now have entered more national teams such as the women’s sevens and junior sevens teams in Continental and possibly global competitions.

Ghana Rugby is very aware that corporate bodies only invest where they can get a return on the investment. In terms of marketing spend sponsors want to see any one or more of the following:

Positive Brand Reinforcement - Rugby has an impeccable record in terms of clean governance and is devoid of scandals or rumours of graft and misappropriation of funds. It is, therefore, an excellent choice of association.

Increased Awareness - Ghana Rugby has a proud record of achieving excellent media coverage with a positive message and good feedback. With the recently acquired support from Rugby Africa’s APO Group, a leading media relations consulting firm and press release distribution service in Africa and the Middle East. Media monitoring by APO has picked up between 290 to 370 media exposures globally for every press release issued by Ghana Rugby.

Corporate Goodwill - Rugby is the second largest team sport in the world with more than 6.6 million men, women, boys and girls taking part in the Game in more than 160 countries globally. In addition Rugby is a value-based sport that endeavours to instil the values of Integrity, Passion, Teamwork, Discipline and Respect in the youth - values that are essential to build strong character. Supporting this cause has proven globally to create goodwill towards the brand behind the support.

Programmes requiring corporate sponsorship support.

The budget required to run the KPAs of Ghana Rugby is GHS 2.5 million. The following are specific programmes and part of the KPAs requiring sponsorships that will ensure visibility, goodwill and brand reinforcement.

Participation/Youth Development - “Get Into Rugby” - $100k
Ghana Rugby Club Championship (GRCC) - $125k
Tunisia Rugby Africa Men’s Sevens Tournament, October 2018 - $110k
2019 Rugby Africa Silver Cup (Not hosting) - $150k
2019 Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens - $65k

Participation/Youth Development - “Get Into Rugby” - $100k

GHS 465,000 ($100,000)

Introduction course to Rugby
World Rugby “Get Into Rugby” (GIR) programme as basis
Pathway to playing Rugby
“Try” and “Play” Phases with four modules each
2018 target 9,600 new introductions
Budget required for

GIR Sessions
GIR Kit
GIR Festivals
School non-contact tournaments

Ghana Rugby Club Championship (GRCC) - $125k

GHS 580,000 ($125,000)

Annual domestic club league
Includes women
Played in two pools of five teams each
Played over three months with 44 matches in total, average of GHS 5,250/match day
Minimum of 15 press releases plus TV coverage

Rugby Africa Men’s Sevens Tournament, October 2019 - $110k

GHS 512,000 ($110,000)

Twelve teams to battle for top honours.
Gateway to the global stage of Men’s Sevens tournaments:

World Rugby HSBC Sevens Series
Olympics - 2019 = Qualifier
Commonwealth Games

Funding required for:

Kit and equipment
Match preparation/camping
Foreign technical advice and support
Diasporan player costs
Friendly international matches

2019 Rugby Africa Silver Cup (Not hosting) - $150k

GHS 700,000 ($150,000)

Six teams battling for promotion to the Rugby Africa Gold Cup
Gateway to qualification for a shot at a place in the coveted Rugby World Cup
Funding required for:

Kit and equipment
Match preparation/camping
Foreign technical advice and support
Diasporan player costs
Friendly international matches

2019 Rugby Africa Women’s Sevens - $65k

GHS 305,000 ($65,000)

Top African women’s teams battling for the coveted Africa Women’s Sevens Champion title
Gateway to qualification for a shot at a place in the coveted Rugby World Cup
Funding required for:

Kit and equipment
Match preparation/camping
Foreign technical advice and support
Diasporan player costs
Friendly international matches

Kit & Equipment

The need for new or used for kit and equipment over all programmes will never end, and may include:

Balls and ball pumps - For both seniors and juniors and for practice and matches
Boots
Jerseys
Tackle bags and shields
Cones
Agility ladders
Scrum machines
Gym equipment

Maximising brand exposure

Various opportunities to showcase your brand exist, and Ghana Rugby will work with your marketing team to get the most for you out of the sponsorship.

Title sponsor - E.g. Panafrican Ghana Rugby Club Championship
Kit - Jerseys, shorts, training gear, bibs, tracksuits, backpacks, kit bags, water bottles
Officials gear - Match officials, administrators
Equipment - Balls, tackle gear
Media banners
Venue branding - Pole protectors, advertising banners/signs, on-field markings
Vehicle branding
Other opportunities depending on the project/programme

Our mission is to maximise your exposure and goodwill!

Ghana Rugby prides itself on its ability to reach the major/most-read media in Ghana through its excellent media relations.

With the addition of the APO Group as distributor of African Rugby related news we have been able to reach all markets in Africa and indeed globally.

During and after the 2018 Rugby Africa Bronze Cup an impressive 290 to 374 media pickups were reported by the APO Group. More detail on this exposure can be viewed here.

Ghana Rugby also has an aggressive communication policy that ensures the use of most popular social media channels that are exploited fully to distribute news, information and to promote the interest of our sponsors and supporters.

The best recipe has always been to form a team with our sponsors and their marketing team(s) and to plan the PR and Exposure Strategy ahead of programmes and events.

Contact us to discuss your positive brand association with Ghana Rugby.

Mr Herbert Mensah: President

Tel +233 24 432 9888 Email herbertmensah@mac.com

Rian Malan

Tel +27 83 885 1660 Email rianmalan@gmail.com

Union	Ghana Rugby Association operating as the Ghana Rugby Football Union (GRFU)
Address	46 Okodan Road, Osu, Accra-Ghana, West Africa
eMail	info@ghanarugby.org
Website	http://ghanarugby.org/
Facebook	https://www.facebook.com/groups/Rugbygh/

Ghana Rugby Football Union (GRFU) Sponsorship Invitation. Page of To Index

Website: http://ghanarugby.org/ Email: info@ghanarugby.org Tel: +233 24 392 4469 / +233 (0)50 480 2773