How Olivia Igadwa introduced rugby to children in Nakuru west

For Olivia Igadwa, the thrill of watching rugby from the fans terrace sparked her love for the sport , prompting her to join the Nakuru RFC’s first ladies team, in 2014.

Little did she know that years down the line, this sport would sprout in the primary school she is teaching and benefit many students.

At the age of 24, she joined the team as a winger and her passion for the games saw her team make history as the first women's team outside Nairobi to lift the 10 aside trophy in 2019.

Olivia recalls the win as their win of the season after beating Impala 12-10, noting that previously they had tough seasons when the team was still young and lost to senior teams like Mwamba and Impala ladies’ team.

“When I joined the sport, it was not easy. However, quitting was not an option for me. This is a game that kept me hooked on the action as a fan. Playing it was a dream come true for me,” she notes with excitement in her voice.

In 2015, she took a break from the sport when she became expectant. 

In her one-year break from the sport, Olivia still wanted to feel the rugby action, but could not as a player.

This is when she decided to introduce rugby in Nakuru West Primary school in 2016 and train children during PE and games time.

“Being a new sport, the pupils were so happy to learn about the game. I started off with around 50 pupils but some dropped off along the way,” she says.

It was from this young team, that Olivia contributed to the number of players playing in Nakuru age grade academy.

“We started off with the U12 and U14 and we now have an additional of U18 in the age grade rugby,” she notes.

Mentioning how age grade rugby has impacted the life of some players and their families, she notes that some of her players have landed scholarships in primary schools and high school that embrace rugby.

“We have some students from the academy schooling in St. Peters high school through scholarships. Seven more are schooling at Kinale girls primary through rugby scholarships offered by the school,” Olivia says.

As a Physical Education (P.E) teacher, she notes that through talent development at a young age, the players are reaping the benefits of their sportsmanship while being able to finance their education.

Asked what is needed to ensure more children excel in sports, Olivia notes sports financing and sponsorship play a great deal in talent development.

“Talent scouting happens during tournaments. The more exposed the young players are, the better chances they have of benefiting from their skills. With sponsorship, the young players can get the chance to grace more tournaments, sharpening their skill while at the same time exploring their chances of being scouted,” she says.