As the inaugural Next XV National Selection Tournament reaches its third match day, the competition is already providing 140 Under-19 players with an opportunity to experience rugby in a structured franchise environment and compete alongside some of the country’s leading young talent.
The vision behind Next XV has always been to create more than a series of matches. It is about giving young players greater exposure to competitive rugby while introducing them to the standards, routines and expectations of a professionally organised sporting environment.
Sri Lanka Rugby owns and controls Next XV and is responsible for the rugby and player-development framework of the tournament, including the management and oversight of players and coaches through the four franchise teams. A strong emphasis is placed on discipline, standards and player conduct, recognising that these young players are being groomed to represent Sri Lanka at age-group and, ultimately, senior national level.
A key principle of the tournament is also to ensure that every player selected to the 140-player national pool is given a genuine opportunity to perform. Accordingly, Sri Lanka Rugby requires every player to receive a minimum of 20 minutes of match time during the tournament, giving each of them the opportunity to demonstrate his ability under competitive conditions and make his case for selection to the final 40-player squad that will prepare for the Under-19 Asia Rugby Championship.
A major emphasis has also been placed on the quality of coaching and performance support available to the players. Some of Sri Lanka’s most experienced and highly qualified rugby professionals, including World Rugby-qualified coaches, have been appointed across the four franchises, supported by qualified strength and conditioning trainers, physiotherapists and other performance personnel.
Alongside the sporting framework led by Sri Lanka Rugby, Eventistry serves as SLR’s exclusive commercial partner for Next XV, bringing its expertise, resources and commercial relationships to the development of the tournament. Its role encompasses building, managing and growing the commercial rights of Next XV, including marketing, sponsorship, broadcast, ticketing, media and the commercial development of the franchise structure.
The owners of the four franchises – Colombo Aces, Galle Lions, Kandy Tuskers and Jaffna Bulls – have in turn made a significant commitment of resources and investment to create the team environments in which these young players can develop and compete.
Through this combined effort, players are provided with structured training and coaching, team accommodation, nutrition, sports equipment, professional support services and professionally managed match-day environments. This allows them to focus on their rugby while experiencing the responsibilities, standards and expectations that come with representing a franchise.
The competition provides Sri Lanka Rugby’s coaches and selectors with an extended environment in which players can be observed and developed through regular training and match exposure. This allows players to be assessed across areas including technical execution, physical preparation, teamwork, discipline, adaptability and performance under competitive conditions.
Franchise model built for the future
Behind each of the four franchises is a significant commitment of time, resources and investment. The franchise owners have invested in the competition because they believe in the potential of young Sri Lankan players and in the long-term development of rugby in the country.
The ambition extends well beyond the inaugural tournament. The objective is to establish a sustainable sporting property that can provide continued opportunities for young players, coaches and other stakeholders while contributing to the broader development of Sri Lankan rugby.
The partnership brings together Sri Lanka Rugby’s sporting leadership, Eventistry’s commercial expertise and the franchise owners’ investment in their teams. Each contribution supports the tournament’s development while keeping player welfare, development and rugby performance at its centre.
Ecosystem beyond the field
The delivery of Next XV has also involved a wide network of Sri Lankan businesses and service providers.
Hotels and accommodation providers, transport operators, food and catering suppliers, sports nutrition providers, apparel manufacturers, equipment suppliers, event-production companies, lighting and LED providers, broadcast and media teams and many other professionals have contributed to delivering the competition.
This reflects the wider ecosystem required to stage a professional sporting property and demonstrates how investment in sport brings together a broad network of businesses and professionals around the athletes and the competition.
That investment supports the environment being created for the players, from the quality of coaching and physical preparation to recovery, nutrition, accommodation and match-day delivery.
Building what comes next
At its heart, Next XV is an investment in young rugby players.
For the 140 players involved, the tournament provides an opportunity to train under some of the country’s leading rugby professionals, compete regularly, work with coaches and teammates from different backgrounds, experience a franchise environment and understand the standards expected as they progress towards higher levels of the game.
For Sri Lanka Rugby, Next XV also provides an important development and selection platform. Bringing a large group of the country’s leading Under-19 players into a structured environment allows their progress to be observed over an extended period, giving selectors a broader basis for identifying the final 40-player squad.
For Sri Lanka Rugby, Eventistry and the franchise owners, the inaugural tournament represents an important first step towards building a sustainable platform for young rugby talent.
As the competition progresses, the focus remains on the players, the quality of rugby and the long-term ambition of creating more opportunities for the next generation.
Next XV is an investment in young players, a pathway for their development and a stronger foundation for the future of Sri Lankan rugby.