Digicel has pledged $500,000 tala towards the historical international test match between Toa Samoa and Fiji Bati that will be held in Apia next month.
The match coincides with Rugby League Samoa’s 30th anniversary this year.
“We take pride in supporting our sports and Rugby League Samoa has been performing really well with their results and because of their performance including having been fourth in the world in Rugby league, we at Digicel believe it’s crucial to get involved,” said Digicel Samoa CEO Rory Condon.
“It’s important that we support not just one sport but all the sports that appeal to our country, because that’s our service to them is to provide them with the coverage on whatever they need, whether it’s boxing, rugby, or rugby league. We feel it’s important to ensure our people get to witness these games hence the sponsorship,’ he added.
The week-long anniversary celebrations for Rugby League Samoa will include matches for high school teams selected from Savaii and a team from Upolu to face off against teams from the New South Wales Country Club rugby league team.
This will culminate in the big internationally recognized Pacific test which is seen as a rematch of the thriller from last year between Toa Samoa and Fiji Bati.
“We cannot say who will be in the team as that is the coach’s and management’s job to select them, but I can say that we can only select from the options we get. The eligibility rule will only be active in November so there you go,” said Tagaloa Faafouina Su’a the president of Rugby League Samoa.
“What I can say is that we will not select Samoan eligible players who have played in the NRL grand final at that time, because the game is one week after the grand final and for sure after all the partying they will not be able to compete at a high level,” said Tagaloa.
Digicel’s pledge was completed with the unveiling of the new Toa Samoa uniform to be staged in the test match.
In addition, Digicel and RLs have planned to set up a tent near the field for persons with disabilities who are in wheel-chair.
Match officials will also be dressed in pink uniforms to support cancer awareness month in October.