Ooi Huat Beng does!
Ooi, who played rugby for his school, Perak state and Malaysia, spends more than RM100,000 a year to promote the game.
He has been organising the Edwardian 10s tournament at the Taiping esplanade for the past three years. The two-day Edwardian 10s tournament has become a favourite of rugby enthusiasts and attracts teams from throughout the nation.
The matches are streamed live over the internet and anyone with a connection can get to watch them live.
The cost of organising the tournament keeps going up but Ooi continues to fund it. In 2022, it cost about RM80,000. Last year it cost RM100,000 and this year it cost more than RM110,000.
But Ooi does not stop there in his quest to promote the game. At every opportunity, he encourages rugby players to continue playing or contributing
He is also quick to donate to the rugby team of his alma mater – whether for jerseys or food when they travel outstation – and if the games are played in Kuala Lumpur or Selangor, he is there to cheer them on.
Why Edwardian 10s? It is to say thanks to his alma mater King Edward VII Secondary School of Taiping where he picked up the game.
Ooi, the chairman of SNI group of companies, recollects being approached “out of the blue” by the school’s rugby coach Yew Siew Seng to play in 1979. Yew needed a tall guy in the squad and the lanky school basketball player fit the bill.
“I was asked to try out rugby and I fell in love with it. This was in Form 5.”
He made it to the school team and that year King Edward VII Secondary School became the Malaysian schools’ rugby champion. Ooi, who was made assistant school rugby captain in 1980, played for the school for three years, until he finished Upper Six.
While in school, he was recruited to play for both the Perak Under-23 and adult teams. Ooi played for Perak from 1979 to 1981.
In 1982, Ooi left for Kuala Lumpur where he played for UMBC, his employer, and Selangor state. He played for Selangor until 1985.
In 1983, he was selected for the national rugby squad and played for Malaysia for one year.
“I can honestly say that I benefited from rugby and that is why I support rugby. I learned to be tough; I learned discipline and perseverance. If you don’t train well and have no discipline, you can be easily injured.
“Rugby helped mould my character and since I benefited, I’m trying to give back to the game and society by promoting rugby. I want others to benefit too,” Ooi, who continues to keep fit, said.
“Coach Yew told me: ‘If you can play rugby and lead the team as pack leader, you can lead anyone or any company in the future.”
True enough, the rugby pack leader now leads a major company manufacturing health and beauty products.
One reason he continues to support the school, especially its rugby team, harks back to the time he noticed, as a student, successful old boys coming to the school for functions and supporting the school’s activities.
“I told myself that one day I would emulate them. Now I am doing what I saw those guys do – giving back to the school. The one day has come.”
Ooi initially started out by funding a 10-a-side tournament for old boys of various schools at the King Edward VII Secondary School field eight years ago. Then Covid-19 struck and the tournament was abandoned.
In 2022, he upgraded the tournament to include all interested teams which played for the Datuk Seri Utama Ooi Beng Huat Cup.
“In 2023, to get better teams, we increased the prize money to RM5,000 from RM2,500 for the winner. The prize money for runners up was raised to RM2,000, and for third placing to RM500. The veterans champion takes home a cup and prize money of RM2,000.
“A total of 16 teams (players of any age) participate in the tournament. We also have eight teams playing in the veterans (age 38 and above) section.”
In 2022 and 2023 the Edwardian Taiping Rugby Club was champion but this year the Majlis Perbandaran Klang’s Royal Town Warriors beat it into second place.
This year, 27 teams applied to play in the Edwardian 10s but as the format only allows for 16 teams, the organisers had a tough time selecting the best 16.
“The live streaming has taken the tournament to the homes of rugby enthusiasts and even though it costs a lot, we decided to continue with it this year too.
“I’m happy that the Edwardian 10s has become the benchmark for other tournaments, as we maintain a high standard and get good referees.
“The tournament allows those who have an interest in the game an opportunity to play after they leave school. It offers an additional arena to hone their skills or simply enjoy playing the game,” Ooi, who was recently conferred the Tan Sri title, said.
Ooi is not an office bearer in any rugby association because he is wary of politics in sports bodies.
“I just want to promote the game, that’s all,” he says chirpily.