FRU moves closer to rugby stadium project

The Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) board is continuing efforts to develop revenue-generating investments to secure the organisation’s future.

Speaking to SUNsports yesterday, FRU board chairman John Sanday said talks had resumed with stakeholders over the proposed acquisition of a 60-acre block of land along Saweni Beach Road, where the country’s first rugby stadium is planned.

Sanday said the FRU held a detailed and productive meeting with the iTaukei Land Trust Board (TLTB) in Lautoka on Tuesday.

He was accompanied by FRU director of finance Anare Manulevu, director of legal Mosese Naivalu and chief executive officer Koli Sewabu.

“Right from the outset, we had always wanted a meaningful joint meeting with the landowners and this meeting we were able to dive into the details and get clarification,” the former Flying Fijians No. 8 said.

“From FRU’s side, we want to have a meaningful partnership with the landowners where they sit on the board and are involved in every step of the way at board level via their nominee directors.

“It will be a fantastic opportunity to pave a corporate high-performance pathway for their nominee directors in the commercial aspects of project development and asset management.”

Sanday said the discussions covered special conditions, including an education and scholarship fund for the landowners’ youths, as well as other commercial matters such as spin-off contracts that would form part of the lease conditions.

“TLTB Lautoka has asked us to put all our views in writing back to them as soon as we can and they will work to get the letter of offer out to us soon after that.

“It is an exciting development as this was one of the key deliverables I had promised when I put my hand up to be a director of FRU in October 2024 and two years later we are very near to signing off on it.”

Sanday said the FRU would work towards finalising and securing the lease before the end of the current financial year, subject to approval from the FRU Trustees.

“The company I am chairman of is Fiji Rakavi Football Union Ltd (FRFUL) and we are the commercial and operating arm of FRU Trust. All assets and ownership of everything is vested in the Trust via the Trustees. So we will prepare a submission for Board of Trust’s consideration and decision once the TLTB Letter of Offer comes in.”

Sanday said he was encouraged by the approach TLTB staff were taking towards managing landowners’ interests.

“It was very healthy to see the new spirit of enterprise and negotiations from TLTB on this project. Of course they will get better over time and we all just support and keep encouraging that,” he said.