As many as 125 positions are running the affairs of schools rugby taking officialdom to an unprecedented level not even found in cricket which is played by more youth entities and prevalent in all parts of the country.
In the positions are school masters and principals who are not known to have played the game and who say they are answerable only to the Ministry of Education. Among them are five vice presidents.
Also part of the large bandwagon are 24 Committee Members belonging to what is called Western Province (9), Central Province (6), Southern Province (3), Sabaragamuwa Province (2), Uva Province (2) and North Western Province (3).
As many as 72 officials are also listed as tournament secretaries, officials in a special tournament committee, financial committee, organizing committee, development committee, disciplinary committee and selection committee besides six other positions known as provincial coordinators.
The irony is that the packed house could not stop a match official from being brutally assaulted, referees resorting to trade union action to protect their lives, complaints of sub-standard refereeing resulting in foreign referees brought down for matches, crowd invasions and the failure to enlist eight teams to play in the Knock-Out tournament that was reduced to six.
Most questionable is the presence of 13 Committees and the absence of any Committee to protect children and young players from abuse at the hands of their mentors or coaches. For the record, according to United Nations (UN) estimates, 20 percent of abused minors are in the field of sports.
Over 100 school officials could also not prevent the 16-team League championship from a rough build-up over accusations of a rip-off by them during the second round of matches which they denied and then became mere onlookers when the championship was brought to a standstill in the aftermath of a referee assaulted by spectators.
They could also not prevent their newly installed Independent Technical Advisory Committee from collapsing when the only experts in the schools governing body headed by former Sri Lanka Number Eight Lasith Gunaratne quit over claims their presence meant little or nothing.
The current strength found in the so-called Sri Lanka Schools Rugby Football Association (SLSRFA) adds to the scenario found in the country which is filled with professors, title holders and award winners with nothing to brag about by way of progress and positive achievements.
