The Futures Cup
East African rugby players show huge talent, but without training and investment in youth rugby, Kenya and Uganda will not be able to compete with top nations on the world stage. The Futures Cup was set up to change this. The tournament aims to create a pathway to higher exposure by giving a wider pool of players the opportunity to represent their region outside of school fixtures and push them to the next level.
The inaugural Futures Cup was held at St Christopher’s International School, Nairobi from 14-16 July 2023. The vision was clear - to organise a fifteen aside tournament for U15 boys with the best players from each region in Kenya fighting it out for the trophy. The delivery was exceptional - with it being hailed as ‘one of the most professionally run sporting events recently seen in Kenya.’
The tournament featured eight teams from Central, Rift Valley, Coastal, 2 Nairobi and 2 Western as well as an invitational team from Kampala, Uganda. It also hosted one girls exhibition match. With it being the only pathway to the next level outside of school rugby and before International call ups, it was no surprise that it attracted over 2500 spectators across the 3 days.
Meet the teams
