Rugby Africa

What Rugby Africa does

Rugby Africa is a non-profit continental governing body for rugby union in Africa, founded in 1986 in Tunis, Tunisia (originally as the Confederation of African Rugby, or CAR). It operates as one of six regional associations of World Rugby and serves 40 national member unions across the African continent, of which 24 are full or associate members of World Rugby. The organization is headquartered at SARU House in Cape Town, South Africa, co-located with the South African Rugby Union, and is led by President Herbert Mensah (Ghana), Vice President Abdennaceur Bougja (Morocco), Treasurer Aaron Jani (Zimbabwe), and General Secretary Jurie Roux (South Africa).

The organization's core product portfolio consists of five continental competitions: the Rugby Africa Cup (men's 15s premier championship and Rugby World Cup qualification pathway), the Rugby Africa Women's Cup, the Africa Men's Sevens, the Africa Women's Sevens, and the U20 Barthès Trophy. Supporting programs include Get Into Rugby (a mass-participation initiative that has registered 316,300+ new players since January 2018, with 46% female participation), the Women's Rugby Development Program anchored by the #TryAndStopUs campaign with 12 women ambassadors, the Rugby Africa Academy Training Program delivered by 2 Regional Training Managers and 4 Regional Development Officers, and Regional Sevens tournaments. There is no proprietary technology product; operations run on a bilingual WordPress website and a multi-platform streaming/distribution stack of SuperSport, RugbyPass TV, YouTube, and Facebook.

Rugby Africa is a non-profit and does not publicly disclose revenue. Funding is generated through three primary streams: recurring annual membership fees from 40 member unions, corporate sponsorship and partnerships (notably Société Générale as a flagship partner for women's rugby, plus Gilbert, World Flair, and APO Group), and development funding from World Rugby and, since 2019, the French Development Agency (AFD) for women's rugby. Tournaments are offered with free public admission, and all matches are streamed free of charge via social platforms and broadcast on SuperSport across Sub-Saharan Africa.

Name

Rugby Africa

Legal name

Rugby Africa

Website

https://rugbyafrique.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1986

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Rugby Africa is a non-profit continental governing body for rugby union in Africa, founded in 1986 and headquartered in Cape Town. It organizes five major continental competitions, development programs, and serves 40 member unions as one of six World Rugby regional associations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sports Federation & Rugby Governance

NAICS

Sports Teams and Clubs (711211), Spectator Sports (71121), Sports and Recreation Instruction (611620), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Rugby (Union & League) Leagues (MPAKAAAG)

akta.pro secondary industries

National Governing Bodies (NGBs) (MPAKAFAC), Amateur Sport Governing Bodies & Federations (National/Regional) (MPAKACAD)

Keywords

• Continental rugby governance
• Rugby tournament organization
• Rugby development programs
• Sports federation services
• Rugby union competitions

Headquarters

HQ city

Cape Town

HQ country

South Africa

HQ region

Africa

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Rugby Africa generates revenue through annual membership fees from its 40 member unions across Africa.
2. Sponsorship and Partnerships: Corporate sponsorship from partners including Société Générale, World Flair, Gilbert, and APO Group provides revenue streams for tournament organization and development programs.
3. World Rugby Funding: As one of six regional associations of World Rugby, Rugby Africa receives development funding and support from the global governing body for rugby promotion and development activities across Africa.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Rugby Africa is the continental governing body for rugby union in Africa, organizing a portfolio of men's, women's, and youth competitions — including the Rugby Africa Cup, Women's Cup, Men's Sevens, Women's Sevens, and U20 Barthès Trophy — that serve as qualification pathways to the Rugby World Cup and the Olympic Games. It delivers development programs (Get Into Rugby, Women's Rugby Development, Academy Training) and provides governance, referee training, and coaching education services to its 40 national member unions across Africa.

Product overview

Rugby Africa operates as a continental sports governing body organizing a portfolio of rugby competitions and development programs across Africa. The core product offering consists of five key competitions: Rugby Africa Cup (men's premier 15s tournament), Rugby Africa Women's Cup (women's 15s tournament), Africa Men's Sevens, Africa Women's Sevens, and U20 Barthés Trophy (youth development). Supporting these are the Get Into Rugby program, Women's Rugby Development initiatives including the Try and Stop Us campaign, Academy Training with Leading Rugby modules, and Regional Sevens tournaments. The organization also runs Rugby Africa Repechage as a qualification pathway. With 40 member unions, Rugby Africa serves as the continental qualifier for Rugby World Cup and Olympic Games through its various tournament products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rugby Africa Cup The premier continental rugby union championship bringing together Africa's top national men's fifteen-a-side teams. Serves as the qualification pathway to the Rugby World Cup; 2025 edition to be held in Uganda. Targeted at national rugby unions and their senior men's representative teams.
• Rugby Africa Women's Cup The leading women's fifteen-a-side continental competition that determines Africa's top women's team and provides the qualification pathway to the Women's Rugby World Cup. Targeted at national women's rugby teams.
• Africa Men's Sevens The elite men's sevens championship where the top team qualifies for the World Rugby Challenger Series (SVNS Division 3) and the Olympic Games. Targeted at national men's sevens teams.
• Africa Women's Sevens The flagship women's rugby sevens tournament where the top team qualifies for the World Rugby Challenger Series (SVNS Division 3) and the Olympic Games. Targeted at national women's sevens teams.
• U20 Barthès Trophy A development competition showcasing the next generation of African rugby talent under 20 years old, featuring 8 national U20 teams competing for the continental title. Targeted at national under-20 representative teams.
• Get Into Rugby A World Rugby program partnered with Rugby Africa to grow rugby across the continent by introducing people to rugby and its values of Integrity, Respect, Solidarity, Passion, and Discipline. 316,300+ new players registered since January 2018, 46% female. Targeted at youth, schools, and emerging rugby nations.
• Women's Rugby Development Program Rugby Africa's initiative to develop women's rugby on the continent, changing mindsets and enabling women to express themselves through rugby. Includes the #TryAndStopUs campaign featuring 12 inspirational women ambassadors across 12 African nations. Targeted at female players, coaches, and administrators.
• Regional Sevens Regional sevens tournaments divided into West and South groups, providing development opportunities and qualification pathways for emerging rugby nations across Africa. Targeted at developing national sevens teams.
• Rugby Africa Academy Training Program Development training program introducing rugby, helping unions get structured, and implementing the Leading Rugby Program with four modules: Leadership, Rugby, Business, and Marketing. Managed by Regional Training Managers and Regional Development Officers. Targeted at member unions and their administrators, coaches, and emerging leaders.

Quantifiable outcome

• 316,300+ new players registered since 2018
• +3 more outcomes

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• French Development Agency (AFD)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019AFD joined forces with Rugby Africa to develop women's rugby in Africa, providing funding and support for development programs targeting female participation and leadership in rugby across the continent.
• World RugbycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1986World Rugby is the global governing body for rugby, and Rugby Africa is one of its six regional associations. This partnership provides funding, development support, tournament sanctioning, and international competition pathways for African rugby nations.
• South African Rugby Union (SARU)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1986SARU hosts Rugby Africa's headquarters at their facilities in Cape Town. South Africa, as a global rugby superpower, provides technical assistance, resources, and competitive opposition to help develop rugby across the continent through participation in Rugby Africa competitions.
• Société GénéraleflagshipGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench banking group Société Générale is an official partner of Rugby Africa, sponsoring women's rugby competitions including the Africa Women's Sevens tournament held in Tunisia.
• APO GroupcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAPO Group handles Rugby Africa's media contact and sponsorship inquiries, managing press releases and communications through Africa Newsroom platform.
• GilbertminorGTM or Marketing PartnerGilbert, a rugby equipment manufacturer, is listed as a partner providing official match balls and equipment for Rugby Africa competitions.
• World FlairminorGTM or Marketing PartnerWorld Flair is a partner of Rugby Africa, providing merchandise and fan engagement products for tournaments and events.
• Get Into Rugby (World Rugby)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerGet Into Rugby is World Rugby's global development program administered through Rugby Africa across African member unions, aiming to grow rugby participation with focus on values of Integrity, Respect, Solidarity, Passion and Discipline.
• FFR (Fédération Française de Rugby)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFrench Rugby Federation maintains excellent relationships with Rugby Africa, offering historical support and development assistance, though Rugby Africa has clarified its primary alignment is now with SARU.
• ACNOA (African National Olympic Committees Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation of African National Olympic Committees, representing Olympic Movement interests and supporting rugby as an Olympic sport through Rugby Africa's sevens program and qualification pathways.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Confederation of African Athletics (CAA): The CAA is the continental governing body for athletics in Africa under World Athletics. It shares Rugby Africa's continental organizing, development, and qualification mandate across diverse African member federations.
• FIBA Africa: FIBA Africa is the continental governing body for basketball in Africa, structured similarly to Rugby Africa as a regional association of a global federation. It offers a comparative model for African continental sports organization, development programming, and pan-African sponsorship.
• Confédération Africaine de Football (CAF): CAF is the continental governing body for football in Africa and serves as a structural analog for how regional sports confederations operate across the continent. It provides a benchmark for continental sports governance, sponsorship scale, and tournament monetization in Africa.
• South African Rugby Union (SARU): SARU is the dominant national rugby union in Africa and host of Rugby Africa's headquarters at SARU House in Cape Town. While not a peer in organizational mandate, SARU is the closest partner and provides infrastructure, technical support, and competitive anchor for Rugby Africa tournaments.

Direct peers

• Rugby Americas North: Rugby Americas North governs rugby union across North America and the Caribbean as a World Rugby regional association. It shares Rugby Africa's continental organizing role, development mandate, and reliance on World Rugby funding for emerging-nation growth.
• Rugby Europe: Rugby Europe is the European regional association for rugby union and a peer World Rugby body. It organizes the continental championship structure and provides a benchmark for how regional rugby associations operate at a more mature commercial scale than Rugby Africa.
• Asia Rugby: Asia Rugby is the regional governing body for rugby union across Asia and one of the six World Rugby regional associations structurally analogous to Rugby Africa. It organizes continental competitions and development programs for emerging rugby nations, mirroring Rugby Africa's mandate and revenue model.
• Sudamerica Rugby: Sudamerica Rugby is the regional governing body for rugby union across South America and a World Rugby regional association. Comparable in scope, membership structure, and developmental mandate to Rugby Africa.
• Oceania Rugby: Oceania Rugby governs rugby across the Pacific islands and Oceania as a World Rugby regional association. It shares Rugby Africa's role in supporting smaller, resource-constrained unions and providing the qualification pathway to the Rugby World Cup.

Broad incumbents

• World Rugby: World Rugby is the global governing body for rugby union and the parent federation of which Rugby Africa is a regional association. It provides development funding, sanctioning, and international competition pathways, and is the strategic counterpart to Rugby Africa.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RugbyAfrique
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/RugbyAfrique
• Facebookfacebook.com/RugbyAfrique
• Instagraminstagram.com/rugbyafrique
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rugby-africa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles20 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Rugby Africa