Members of the Kaiviti Silktails with their secretary ad NRL great Petero Civoniceva and Westpack’s CEO Shane Smith. Students of Gospel High School were also part of the event.
Kaiviti Silktails chairman and NRL great Petero Civoniceva says the main purpose of the team is to provide a pathway for local players to break into the professional rugby league scene.
While this may mean the side does not always secure more wins than losses in the Jersey Flegg Cup competition, he says the club’s focus is not on immediate success, but on the long-term development of grassroots players in Fiji.
One of the things Civoniceva is most proud of is that 100 percent of the team and coaching staff are locals.
The three-time NRL premiership winner says that, over time, the Silktails aim to grow into a club capable of competing at the same level as established NRL teams.
“But for us at the Silktails, our goal is to grow our local players, to get them up to that standard. To obvisouly get them to go to Australia or New Zealand to secure contracts, at semi-professional or professional.”
Meanwhile, the Silktails signed a new partnership with Westpac Banking Corporation in Suva this morning.
Silktail Executive Director Stephen Driscoll thanked Westpac for its decision to support the team and join its mission of developing rugby league in Fiji.
Driscoll said the partnership is about more than just rugby league, highlighting the importance of teaching young aspiring players valuable financial literacy skills alongside their sporting development.
To celebrate the partnership, the Silktails also unveiled their new jerseys and training apparel.
The Silktails will take on the South Sydney Rabbitohs this Saturday at Churchill Park in Lautoka, with kickoff scheduled for 12pm.
