Jason Zehmke on Building a Rugby Empire in a Country That Doesn't Play It

Jason Zehmke left Uitenhage for Charlotte, North Carolina on a six-month rugby stint and never came back — twenty-six years, a law degree turned banking career, and one of America's largest youth rugby clubs later. This episode is for anyone building something from scratch in a place that has no reason to want it: the operators, the emigrants, the coaches and the parents. Jason breaks down how the Charlotte Cardinals recruit kids who have never watched a rugby match, why he refuses to call his teams A, B and C, and what South Africa's historic schools are quietly losing to money. It is also an honest look at what it costs to build a life abroad, and what pulls you back to the people who put you on the field in the first place. 00:00 Down 8-0 in the Final 00:18 Welcome to Winning the Away Game 01:55 Favourite Springbok Memory 03:00 Growing Up in Uitenhage 07:11 The Talent Drain from South Africa's Oldest Schools 09:20 Three Tiers of Schoolboy Rugby 12:22 Building the Charlotte Cardinals 15:46 Why Kids Are Leaving Football 18:26 Colour Teams, Not A, B and C 19:26 Six Months in Charlotte, Twenty-Six Years Later 24:55 Homesickness and the South African Network 32:31 Why He Wears the Grey Armband 40:51 AI Risk at Wells Fargo 47:35 A Country That Works for Everyone 53:18 Looking Ahead to the World Cup Winning The Away Game is brought to you by The Lekker Network. The Lekker Network brings together South Africa's top entrepreneurs, executives, innovators, and everyday people from all over the world to connect, engage, support, do business with each other, and create lasting impact. Find out more at https://thelekkernetwork.com/ Listen on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/26fB2unP9Ih6IA3QkjnGQF?si=4b4380f24a144716 Listen on Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/za/podcast/winning-the-away-game/id1853818584 Connect with Justinus:https://www.linkedin.com/in/justinusadriaanse/ Connect with Flip:https://www.linkedin.com/in/flipvandermerwe/ Check out our other channels: Website: https://wtagpodcast.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/winning-the-away-game-podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wtag_podcast/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wtag_podcast Winning The Away Game is produced by Jonathan Warncke Connect on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/%F0%9F%8E%99-jonathan-warncke-45b2095/ Ping Productions: https://www.pingproductions.net/