Kings urge fans to play the name game before poll deadline

A DECISION on whether the Southern Kings will be renamed before the new Pro14 season kicks off will be made next week, EP Rugby president Andre Rademan said.

Fans have been urged to air their opinion on the possible rebranding of the struggling franchise before tomorrow’s midday deadline.

The public can e-mail EP Rugby official Amie Kuhn at amie@eprugby.co.za (for the attention of Nadia Njomba) with their views.

In the e-mail they must indicate whether they are in favour of a name change, and if so, what they would like the new name to be.

“I want to urge the public to air their views before the deadline,” said Rademan.

“So far there has been quite some interest coming in from the public. It is important for EP Rugby that people participate in the poll because they are all stakeholders.

“The executive will meet on Thursday night to discuss matters. Then the board will sit and we give the result of the poll next week.

“The EP Rugby Union executive has already decided that the name must change. We have dealt with SA Rugby and there is no problem from their side.

“The executive thought it was a good idea, but it is not easy just changing a name.

“There are different stakeholders and roleplayers involved.”

Rademan said he would like a name change for a number of reasons.

“There is a lot of baggage around this name. When you speak to sponsors there is a lot negativity around the Kings. That is why the executive felt it must change.”

Since their inception in 2009, the Kings have endured a turbulent history on and off the field of play.

“There is a timeframe involved because we are kicking off the new Pro14 season in September and there will be a lot of administrative work involved in changing the name.

“If the majority want a change then they will also decide on the new title. But if the majority say no, then [the name] will stay the same.”

Since the appointment of a new EP Rugby executive under Rademan, there has been a swing to move away from the Kings brand which was tarnished during the financial troubles that crippled the union.

The EP Kings have already reverted to the EP Elephants for the SuperSport Rugby Challenge and Currie Cup tournaments.