Joint contracts to be secured by some Fijian Drua women
Currently under the complete management of Counter Rugby Pte Limited, the women’s team of the Rooster Chicken Fijian Drua will have shared contracts with the Fiji Rugby Union for a few players.
Mark Evans, the CEO, reaffirmed this yesterday during a press conference in Suva. Evans explains that the deal guarantees that players will be paid for their services even after they advance to the Fijiana national 15’s squad because the Super W competition, in which they compete, lasts only 13 weeks.
“We run that thing for thirteen weeks, and during that time we pay the staff, the players, and some of the guys that will be it. However, we turn over the players who will play for the national team at the end of the season, and they are under the FRU’s auspices.
In place of allowances, he notes, the players will now be covered by a joint contract between the Fijian Drua and the Fiji Rugby Union, and they will receive pay for the first time when they play in their national colors.
“We don’t work on allowances; all of the men are paid a salary. FRU and I wanted to try and get the women as close to that as possible as soon as possible, and a joint contract is the obvious way to do that.”
The Fijian Drua women’s team is now searching for new management and coaching personnel. They are also in the process of signing players prior to their 2024 season opener on March 17th against the Reds, the team they defeated to win the championship the previous year.