Message from the Chief Director

Welcome back to the #MaroonMachine Family and the university community. We especially welcome our new first-year students and look forward to you joining our 31 sport clubs. We offer opportunities in high performance, competitive, campus leagues, recreation, and an active lifestyle. The year is usually jampacked, and therefore, it is important that you connect with us as soon as possible to join us at our various sports facilities.

We are celebrating the 150th anniversary of our Maties Rugby Club. Our exciting programme will lead us into 2026 when we will host the World University Rugby 7s championship in partnership with University Sport South Africa in our beautiful town and one-of-a-kind campus.

Our five strategic objectives remain our guide to fulfilling our vision: ‘To be the leading university, contributing to a holistic and diverse experience through sport’.  Our commitment for 2025 is to drive participation, performance, education, and research through leadership that will advance performance at all levels, as follows:

  1. Advance participation and performance through our various units responsible for high performance, competitive sport, recreation, and active lifestyle. We have done well with our Campus Sport programme and are committed to growing the participation numbers, so please join us.
  2. We committed to a healthy organisation focused on succession planning, supported by training, development, and staff wellbeing. We are committed to delivering the best service and support to our sports clubs, clients, and partners, and we need our team to be equipped to do so. Therefore, this commitment.
  3. A sustainable business model realised through (i) fundraising initiatives with purposeful partnerships, (ii) a destination of choice with our world-class physical resources, and (iii) operational excellence supported by technology and innovation.
  4. Research for impact and innovation: our two uniquely positioned Centre for Sport Leadership and the South African Centre for Olympic Studies and Social Impact (SACOSSI) will drive initiatives to advance research for impact, training and development, and social impact.

The new five-year vision that led to my re-appointment as the Maties Sport Chief Director aims to continue navigating the ever-evolving landscape of higher education and the need to reimagine university sport as a catalyst for positive change. To achieve this, we must include sustainable practices to shape future generations of leaders, student-athletes, and engaged citizens.

The #MaroonMachine remains committed to unlocking Maties Sport's full potential to thrive in a diverse and interconnected world. We can only do so with our students, staff, communities, partners, stakeholders, and the South African sport sector.

I remain grateful for the privilege of serving sport at Stellenbosch University and our beautiful country.  I appreciate the leadership of Professor Stan du Plessis, Chief Operating Officer, our line manager, the Operations and Finance team, the #MaroonMachine family, and the broader sport fraternity of South Africa.

2025 will be another fantastic year, and may we collectively, through meaningful collaboration, continue to make a difference.

#MaroonMachine Greetings!

Curt Ruiters 11