“When you talk about Ba Rugby, you talk about community and for this it is just that connectivity. This is important to us and we will always try to respect the sponsorship.
Ba Rugby Union secretary Gaby Kautoga (left) and Aspen Medical’s chief executive officer (CEO) Gavin Whiteside during their memorandum partnership signing at Ba Aspen Subdivisional Hospital on February 25, 2025. Photo: Mereleki Nai
The Ba Rugby Union (BRU) sealed a partnership deal with healthcare Aspen Medical yesterday.
During the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding with the Aspen Medical chief executive officer Gavin Whiteside, BRU secretary Pastor Gaby Kautoga remarked that this is a great blessing to them.
The BRU holds its weekly club competition with their main men’s team playing in the Skipper Cup while the women participate in the Royal Tea Ranadi Cup competitions.
He told SUNsports that players suffering injuries is always an issue especially during club games.
“It is a blessing to be part of this partnership with Aspen,” Kautoga said.
“For us in rugby, our main priority is safety. It is always a big issue during club games with our players.”
He said the new partnership stands for connectivity.
“When you talk about Ba Rugby, you talk about community and for this it is just that connectivity. This is important to us and we will always try to respect the sponsorship.
Whiteside said Aspen Medical is proud to sponsor and provide a pathway for the team.
“We’re excited to enter into this M.O.U and supporting the Ba Rugby Union and our community in which we operate the Ba sub-divisional hospital. We feel that it is important to connect to our community by providing a pathway for our community.
“I think it is a good step and something that we are proud of to be able to support at this stage. It is 36 teams throughout the competition and hopefully be part of the journey.”
The Aspen Medical CEO said the step ahead is to provide technical courses for safety protocols.
“The steps will be developing our team, which means our team members will do some technical courses around sports medicine and safety protocols. They will engage with some communities in first responders and first aid that currently support the Ba Rugby Union. We will be there to provide safety to our Fijians that are playing the wonderful sport every weekend. We going to start slow and being progressive and make sure each step we take is a solid one,” Whiteside added.
Feedback: mereleki.nai@fijisun.com.fj
