Fiji Rugby to use England test surplus for Saweni stadium project

The Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) will soon make their first payment on the construction of their state-of-the-art stadium in Saweni, Lautoka.

This was the gist of FRU board chairman John Sanday’s Q&A (Questions & Answer) interview with SUNsports yesterday.

More than 50,000 fans packed the Hill Dickinson Stadium in Liverpool, London, on Sunday (Fiji time), the largest crowd ever to watch a Test match hosted by the Flying Fijians.

Sanday said despite the Flying Fijians 8-73 loss to England, the financial windfall is the vital fuel that would fund their financial strength. This, he says, will see improvement of our high performance structures and safeguard the future of Fiji Rugby for generations to come.

“For example, the surplus from the England game will pay for the premium on the land we are acquiring at Saweni,” Sanday said.

“We will share the revenue with our member unions to alleviate their financial struggles in the provincial competitions.

“We also plan to clear out all the existing debts of Fiji Rugby. So from that end, it has been a commercial and financial success.”

Interim Flying Fijians head coach Senirusi Seruvakula said with a stadium here would strengthen Fiji’s push to host more Test matches on home soil.

Seruvakula said the support from the Fijian community in the United Kingdom showed Fiji has the backing to stage major internationals at home.

“It is very important because it brings our people together,” he said.

“It also motivates us to build our own stadium. If we have the right facilities, we can bring crowds like this back to Fiji.”

He believes Fiji should host more Tier One nations instead of taking ‘home’ fixtures overseas.

“We’ve been in this competition for a long time, and I hope Fiji Rugby can make building a stadium a priority.”

Flying Fijians captain Tevita Ikanivere said Scotland is the only major team in Europe who have made the effort to play in Fiji in recent years.

“We respect Scotland because they came to Fiji.

“I don’t think any other team has made that effort. It’s a difficult place for visiting teams to win,” he said.

Although the match was played thousands of kilometres away from home, Ikanivere said it was a special occasion for Fijians living in the UK.

“Some haven’t been back to Fiji for a long time, so this was the closest experience they’ll have to come home. It’s good because it brings our community together.”

Seruvakula hopes that sooner the Flying Fijians will enjoy the same atmosphere in front of packed home crowds in Fiji.