She already has a passion for university sport, combine that with the allure of working for an institution like the Stellenbosch University and it’s no wonder Kimara Singh did not think twice given the opportunity of being Maties Sport’s new Media and Communications Manager.
Singh has been involved with university sports for the past few years, so she knows all about Maties on the field. Now she wants to get to know Maties off the field as well.
“I accepted the position at Maties Sport because I knew it would challenge me to reach a new level in terms of media and communications in the university sport field, which I have been passionate about since I was an undergraduate student. One of the biggest factors for me was the brand of Maties and the pull it has, I also believe that being part of an environment like this will allow for personal growth – not only in terms of the coverage of high-performance sporting codes but also the competitive and RALU codes at the university,” said Singh.
Being thrown into the deep end does not scare Singh. Even though some USSA events are scheduled to take place and that the Varsity Cup tournament was held with success, the university sport environment is – like the national and international environment – still very much an uncertain space. For Singh this adds to the challenge and one that she is ready for.
“At the moment, my biggest challenge would be adjusting to how Covid-19 has impacted our university sport space. I think that will take some time to get used to, but I know I will be able to adapt accordingly and try my utmost best to portray the Maties Sport brand in a light that encompasses our vision of being a leading university that contributes towards a holistic and diverse experience through the power of sport.”
Singh has a Masters of Arts (Media Studies) from University of Limpopo and Bachelor of Journalism from Rhodes University. Her experience includes working as a freelance sport writer for FISU since 2018 and working at the University of Johannesburg as their Communication and Marketing coordinator from September 2018 to December 2019.
It’s been less than a week, but Singh has made a point of making time to meet her new colleagues and she is amped to get to know the Maties student-athletes and see them in action as soon as possible!
“I know that through these relationships I will become better at what I do but ultimately, I am most excited about being able to be hands-on and immediately involved in sport again. Over the last year, it has been difficult not being able to watch/cover live sport and now I will be in the thick of things again! Nothing makes me more excited than the thrill of competition and the hype with our various Varsity Sport/USSA tournaments, there is truly no other vibe like it.”