Rugby Institute to boost player pathways

The Namibia Rugby Union, in partnership with UXI Sport and joint venture partner Donald Neilon, has announced the establishment of the Namibia Rugby Institute – a landmark initiative aimed at advancing high-performance rugby, education and sustainable athlete development in Namibia. The Rugby Institute will integrate elite rugby training with accredited academic and vocational education pathways. The initiative is designed to support the holistic development of male and female athletes, strengthen long-term talent identification and retention, and create clear pathways from youth to elite rugby. UXI Sport has been appointed as the franchisor and service provider. The UXI Sport group operates a model of various similar institutes in South Africa (at the Blue Bulls, Western Province, Pumas, Free State, Griquas and Limpopo Blue Bulls) as well as at Leicester Tigers in England. Key objectives of the Namibia Rugby Institute include: • High-performance rugby delivery and elite player development; • Long-term talent identification and athlete pathway management; • Integration of accredited academic and vocational educational programs; • Data-driven athlete monitoring and performance analysis; • Institutional sustainability and commercial growth. The agreement between the NRU as custodian of the sport in Namibia, Neilon as joint venture partner and UXI Sport was signed and announced on Tuesday afternoon, with UXI Sport represented by its business development manager Rudi Visagie. Neilon said the aim to get the Institute operational during February 2026. “Our aim is to get the whole of Namibia involved. We will identify the talent and build an elite players program. We will have main coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, forwards and backline coaches, who will all align with UXI concept.” Visagie listed IT, agriculture, business and sports science as examples of the fields of education available to prepare rugby players for the work force after their rugby careers.