3 Jun 2011

Serevi launches t-shirt range to benefit Pacific internationals

10:14 am on 3 June 2011

Rugby legend Waisale Serevi is releasing a set of supporters t-shirts to benefit national team players from Fiji, Samoa and Tonga as they participate in international rugby competitions.

The 'Island Kings' range features a custom-designed shirt for each Pacific country with partial proceeds from sales to help players out financially.

Waisale Serevi, who's now running his company Serevi Rugby out of his base in Seattle, Washington, says he hopes to offer athletes access to some of the basic comforts he lacked as a player, so that their focus can be exclusively on rugby.

"I see how players we struggle when we go abroad. We don't have enough gears, we have allowance, we are competing against teams that have millions of dollars and we coming from Fiji getting 25 dollars, 50 dollars a day. From my point of view I thought that this is a great opportunity to try and help my fellow countrymen and especially Tonga and Samoa - I know too they are facing the same problem."

Waisale Serevi says the team accounts the money will be desposited into will be managed by a senior executive from Serevi Rugby, a senior representative from each national team, and an independent advisor from each country.