The slow death of the Prince Edward Rugby Festival – A cautionary tale

BY TINO MOMBESHORA

HARARE – Once the crown jewel of Zimbabwean schools rugby, the Prince Edward School Rugby Festival was more than just a sporting event — it was a rite of passage.

A week-long celebration of young talent that drew teams from across the country and the region, and gave budding rugby stars their first taste of the big stage.

But today, the once-mighty festival finds itself on life support.

For many close to the local rugby scene, the signs have been clear for years: the festival has failed to reinvent itself. At the root of its decline is a lethal mix of arrogance and complacency. There was a time when organisers believed the event was “too big to fail,” that it had a monopoly on development rugby in Zimbabwe. That belief ultimately became its undoing.

A crowd watch a match during one of the festivals in the early 2000s.

Instead of evolving with the times, the festival became bloated, chaotic, and difficult to manage. Crowds grew unruly, logistics faltered, and the overall experience — for players, schools, and sponsors — began to deteriorate. While the rugby remained the heart of the event, everything else around it started falling apart.

In stark contrast, new festivals have emerged — and thrived.

The Mukuru St. John’s Derby Day Rugby Festival has quickly established itself as a slick, well-organised, and corporate-friendly event. Now preparing for its fourth consecutive edition, Derby Day has won plaudits for its professionalism, sponsorship consistency, and ability to create a memorable experience both on and off the pitch.

Meanwhile, St. George’s College has built strong momentum with the Nutri Active Junior Rugby Festival, creating an exciting platform for younger players and attracting attention from brands and schools alike.

These events have demonstrated what Prince Edward failed to grasp: the power of adaptation.

In the last five years, excluding the Covid-19 hiatus, the Prince Edward festival has only managed to host one edition — the 2024 version under the Mwana Group banner. That statistic alone tells a story of an institution in decline, struggling to regain its footing in a landscape it once dominated.

As rugby continues to grow in Zimbabwe, the game is clearly shifting to new hubs — ones that are forward-thinking, inclusive, and commercially viable. The tragedy of the Prince Edward Festival is not just that it is fading, but that it could have avoided this fate.

There’s still time for a revival, but it would require honest introspection, fresh leadership, and a commitment to change.

Until then, the slow death continues.

A match between Harare schools St George's College (in red) and Churchill Boys High during the heyday of the Prince Edward Festival.

*Tino Mombeshora is a graphic artist, writer and sports fan.