Bulletjie Day grows exponentially

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The annual Vodacom Bulletjie Day at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, May 9, will see a record number of budding Vodacom Bulletjie rugby players taking to the field.

Thanks to the efforts of the Blue Bulls Rugby Union, the sport’s reach has grown exponentially and a large number of children from the development clusters will be participating.

Vodacom Bulletjie rugby is the biggest mini-rugby project in South Africa and the first initiative of its kind in the country.

The chairmam of Vodacom Bulletjie Rugby, Riaan Langenhoven, said the increase in numbers equates to a massive logistical operation as they have to cater for nearly 1 000 young boys and girls aged from six to eight years old.

“The increase in our numbers is down to the good work the Blue Bulls Rugby Union is doing at our youth clubs and development schools,” said Langenhoven.

“We have seen good growth in our youth clubs that join us for the Vodacom Bulletjie Day, which has given us a boost to 5,927 participants. More than 600 teams will be participating on the day,” he said.

The Vodacom Bulletjie Day is one of the highlights on the calendar at Loftus Versfeld, where the logistical arrangements can only be described as ‘miraculous’.

This year there will be 197 u.6 team (1598 players), 237 u.7 teams (2125 players) and 218 u.8 teams (2177 players) learning the true meaning of sportsmanship.

The growth of the Vodacom Bulletjie Day is nothing short of amazing since the first formal day was held at Loftus Versfeld in 1996. The first event saw 2 000 boys being granted the unique experience of playing at the famous stadium.