In an unprecedented move, the Uganda Rugby Union has decided to clamp down on numbers allowed on official team rosters while opening avenues for playing time elsewhere.
“The Ugandan player base is growing, and some players are facing difficulty getting playing time as their clubs of choice sometimes do not have space to field them,” reads the proposal from URU.
“This has led to many players abandoning the sport as they languish in fringes of clubs, disappear in universities and institutes of higher learning or stay between clubs due to lack of an enabling exchange policy outside of transfers.”
The URU is moving to allow 55 players collectively for a team in the National Rugby Championship and its reserved side. Any player out of the 55 would be allowed to seek play time elsewhere in a move to cut the numbers lost due to lack of playtime in the big sides.
Currently, a premiership team is allowed a 45-man roster with the same number at the reserve level.
Below are the key points from this roster shake-up proposal:
1. Clubs to agree on loans at the start of the rugby season and the halfway point.
2. Loans are renewed annually. The loan period is one year.
3. Premiership clubs are to be capped at 55 players for a season since they will field a reserve side
4. Regional teams are capped at 40 players a season since they do not field reserve teams.
5. Player loans can be between Premiership, Regional and University leagues.
6. Clubs and or players are allowed to scout for loans.
7. Club can recall a loaned player with a two-match week notice period.
8. When a loaned player is recalled to a parent club, the club where they were loaned is allowed to adjust their squad list accordingly within a month
9. Loaned players are allowed to play against the parent club.
10. Parent club cannot refuse the loan request of any player outside the 55-man or 40-man squads.
11. Where a player has two loan requests from different clubs or universities, the player retains the choice of destination.
12. Loan can be made permanent with mutual agreement.
