HSBC on Friday renewed their sponsorship of UAE Rugby’s Player Pathway Programme (PPP) for a further 3 years, while Land Rover was also unveiled as the programme’s co-principal partner.

Both HSBC and Land Rover will look to bolster UAE Rugby’s all-Emirati grass-roots rugby development programme.

Launched in 2012, the UAE Rugby’s PPP is overseen by three regional development officers, to over 30 National schools and has so far reached over 6,800 Emirati children across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Dubai.

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UAE Rugby now hope to continue growing the programme in the Emirates they are currently operating in, while expanding into Northern Emirates where they see “a significant opportunity for growth”.  
”We are very grateful to HSBC for the support and commitment they have shown for the past three years and, collectively, we have been rewarded through the efforts of the programme by seeing a number of PPP players progress to the next development level – the Shaheen Development Programme,” said Qais Al Dhalai, secretary general of UAE Rugby.

“We are extremely excited that Land Rover have chosen to align with UAE Rugby’s Emirati grass roots programme, as their combined support with HSBC allows us to grow the programme in existing Emirates and take the programme into the Northern Emirates and work toward our 2017 goal of 9,000 Emirati children actively playing rugby at school level, and subsequently increase the number of Emirati players moving through our development levels.”

Supporting the in-school programme, the PPP conducts up to ten annual rugby festivals. The highlight of those festivals is the National Schools tournament, where eight Emirati schools compete on the Saturday of the annual Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby 7’s.