Due to various reasons the Blue Bulls’ club leagues are currently experiencing unprecedented public interest and growing support from top quality players.

All indications are that club rugby under the jurisdiction of the Blue Bulls is back in good hands and that rugby at club level is on its way to a new heyday in the next decade. The Blue Bulls’ Carlton Cup league, despite the challenges of the Covid crisis, has experienced growth in quantity and quality over the past few seasons.

Professional rugby has already undergone significant changes and the biggest consequence of this is that, if things are managed properly, club rugby will be the winner of the new era in the sport’s existence.

Due to the fact that much less professional contracts may be offered by professional teams, as well as the abolition of the entry-level professional league in South Africa (Vocacom Cup, which later became the SuperSport Challenge Tournament), more and more top players will start playing club rugby in an attempt to use it as a stepping-stone to the bigger leagues.

The success of the Blue Bulls’ u.20 club leagues over the past few seasons also proves that more school leavers are prepared to continue their rugby careers at club level.

However, until recently, things looked different for the large rugby community in the Pretoria area north of the Magalies mountain. Club rugby in this community has basically died out over the past few seasons. Yes, a community with enough rugby talent and other resources to easily participate in the Carlton league, has been without their own rugby club for about three years.

Fortunately, there are people willing to shoulder the task to rectify the matter. The Noordelikes rugby club in Pretoria North will celebrate its 75th birthday this year and it was decided to revive the club in this festive year. A new management has been selected in the past week, teams have already been registered for the Blue Bulls’ Presidential League, the coaching team is currently being finalized and training started on Tuesday 18 January.

Good news indeed, but one aspect is still lacking – the support of the community and especially the support of the business people north of the Magalies mountain.

There was a time when Nissan, one of the big international companies in Rosslyn, had its own sports club a few miles from where the Noordelikes club is located. So, why can’t one or more of the big companies in Rosslyn, Pretoria North or Montana get involved in the community’s social and sports activities on a large scale again?

Here is the chance for business people in this area to not only do something for the community, but also to get great benefits out of the situation themselves. There are things like a club suite at Loftus, greater exposure to a very wide market and of course the chance to be involved in the establishment of a social centre for the area, where the people of the north of Pretoria can eat, drink and play.

Great success is currently being achieved at other rugby clubs in Pretoria, where the clubhouse with restaurant and bar facilities has become the gathering place of the community.

Come on, business community north of the Magalies, shows the rest of Pretoria what can be done. The talent is there, the facilities are available and there is an opportunity for major expansions on the club grounds. All that is needed is the business brains and the support of the business sector.

Businessmen who want to get involved in the future of Noordelikes rugby club can contact the chairman, Johan Beukes, on 079-247-0501.

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