She’s A Champ!

The 2019 16th Pacific Games in Samoa was a showcase of the best in high performance athletes from around the Pacific. It also proved to be a highlight for women in sport particularly for the Samoa Titans Womens Sports club which churned out 14 players across five disciplines during the games.

Leading Samoa Titans Women’s Sports club is local champion athlete turned mentor and sports consultant, Gabrielle Apelu who has been a pioneer for women’s rugby codes in Samoa.

Apelu, a Rugby League International, Samoa National Touch Representative, Samoa and New Zealand Tag Rugby International and former Manusina Rugby Captain, has been a pioneer for women’s rugby codes in Samoa.

She came up through grass roots rugby in the 1990s during a time when it was unusual to see females playing rugby in Samoa to now running and coaching the only women’s sports club in our little island nation.

She has been a powerful voice in advocating for women in sport and has been fearless in her approach to using sport as a vehicle to drive and address gender equity.

Seven years ago she started the Samoa Titans Women’s Sports Club and since then has mentored and trained women and girls to reach their full potential across many different sporting disciplines.

“Three years ago when the new young girls joined the club, I set out targets for Pacific Games for them to work towards, and it’s a testament to their commitment and mindset that they stayed on this journey with me and the results speak for themselves,” says Apelu.

“From our club alone we have 14 of us who competed in the Pacific Games over five disciplines and that’s something we are proud of. We have churned out elite athletes in the space of three years and that says ‘yes, Samoa can do it!’”

Titans Women’s Sports Club represented Samoa across three sports that have the metal work to prove their success, securing silver medals for touch rugby and taekwando as well as winning gold in tag rugby.

Being impacted by, and learning from those earlier challenges in rugby prompted the formation of the Titans to help nurture, support and train women and girl athletes to pursue excellence in sport while learning life skills.

“We wanted to create a space where women and girls can come and feel safe and secure,” she said. “Playing sport was a way for us to get together but now we are looking beyond that – we are creating productive, positive role models for young women.”

One of the young women being empowered through the club to set her sights on achieving her full potential, is 19 year-old Frances Gaufa Salesa who represented Samoa in touch rugby at the 16th Pacific Games.

“When I joined the Titans, my mindset changed,” said Salesa. “I realised I can accomplish anything and being there (in the club) helped me make the under 21 National Rugby Team for Samoa and the World Cup team for touch rugby.

“Now I’m an ambassador for tag rugby with a (Pacific Games) gold medal. It’s been a privilege to have a family and sisters within the Titans.” Apelu balances the demands of sport and family with enthusiasm and up until recently had also occupied the role of Samoa Games Development Manager for the Australian National Rugby League in Samoa, which earned her the accolades of being the first female manager for the NRL in the Pacific and the first in the football division across the entire region.

She hopes to mentor the next generation of sportswomen who will take up the mantle of leadership in sporting organisations.

Currently there are eight sporting organisations that have women at the executive level in Samoa and Apelu believes that creating safe environments where women and girls can feel supported and empowered will help increase that number.

“I’ve heard the viewpoint that sport has no place in our culture but I disagree with that because sportspersonship mirrors our culture,” Apelu says, adding that Samoan culture is ‘fealofani’ to walk hand in hand.

“Our job as a community and family unit is to grow stronger together and lift each other up.”