FIJI National Rugby League (FNRL) chairman Rajesh Singh has confirmed the Vodafone Cup club competition will return in early May, alongside a significant expansion of the domestic game with new clubs from across Fiji set to be approved.
Singh said the competition would kick off immediately after the Fiji Secondary Schools tournament concludes in the first week of May.
“Once this competition finishes on the first week of May, then we’ll kick off our Vodafone Cup club competition,” he said.
“Everything has been mapped out, everything is in order, the ground has been booked and everything.”
He added that administrative confusion around club participation is now being resolved ahead of the new season.
“The clubs will be informed because the board has to make the decision.”
A key feature of the upcoming season will be the inclusion of new clubs from outside the traditional rugby league centres, which Singh said is part of the FNRL’s growth strategy.
“In the article of association, we’ve got five clubs who have shown interest They’ve put their application in to join FNRL.”
Singh confirmed the geographic spread of the new applicants reflects growing interest in the sport at grassroots level.
“Five clubs that are joining us from Serua, from Flagstaff and from this Suva city area and Serua. We have seen the application, and I think two of these clubs we have emailed, we have approved them.”
He said the remaining applications would be processed at an upcoming board meeting, with full approval expected soon.
“But the other ones, we’re having a board meeting tomorrow and hopefully we’ll approve all these clubs.”
The chairman believes the expansion will strengthen competition depth and improve standards across the board.
“Once we get the numbers … likely it’s 20 clubs,” he said, signalling further growth of the competition structure.
Singh emphasised that the return of the Vodafone Cup is part of a broader effort to stabilise and strengthen domestic rugby league following recent administrative challenges.
“Everything is in place… so there’s no doubt about it that the club competition will start.”
With new clubs entering and fixtures already being prepared, the upcoming season is expected to mark a major step forward for Fiji’s grassroots rugby league system.
