Issue 110 : 31 July 2022
Talofa Lava, Kia Orana, Malo E Leilei, Tena Koutou, Hello ...
... and welcome to the latest issue of “For The Love Of The Game”, the official e-zine of the New Zealand Amateur Sport Association Inc., founded in Wellington, New Zealand in 2017.
If you have any feedback on this issue, ideas for future articles, or would like to contact the Editor, please click here. And, you are invited to forward the e-zine to others you know, who may be interested in reading it. An archive of earlier editions of the e-zine can be found here. For those who follow Twitter, you can also follow the Association, @AmateurSportNZ.
If you are interested in applying for membership of the Association, please click here.
Community Rate Axed For Use Of Northland Stadium …
The “Northern Advocate” reports that Northland's publicly-owned stadium has dropped the "community rate" it once offered amateur sports teams, with the Northern Region Football Federation now forced to relocate its club finals for the first time in 11 years.
Earlier, Whangārei District Council had told stadium manager Northern Events Centre (2021) Trust it had to run the venue "on a commercial basis according to industry best practice". Northern Football Federation area manager Dave Alabaster said, “we had our senior finals booked [at the stadium] for August 20 which we're now not going to be able to do because it's way too expensive." You can read more here.
In 2022, the Association is supporting the "Affordable Sports Campaign" in the Wellington region, which is calling for a review by all councils in the region to uncover ways fields, turfs and indoor facilities can be priced more transparently and fairly for users. The goal is ensure that “affordability” applies and is a benefit to every player and family across the Wellington region.
(Ratepayer owned facilities need to be open and affordable to all in the community)
New Research Highlights Concerns Over Children In Contact Sports …
New research collaboratively conducted by 13 global academic institutions (including the University of Auckland) suggests that rugby-related head injuries carry a “similar threat to children’s health as smoking”, with those responsible for conducting the research issuing a call for further methods to protect youth players from the impact of contact sport.
(Is the accruing body of evidence linking RHI to CTE, analogous to smoking and lung cancer?)
The report notes that, “medico-legally, millions of children are exposed to repetitive-head-impacts (RHI) through sports participation; this demographic is too young to legally consent to any potential long-term risks associated with this exposure”, also observing that, “the largest group of individuals exposed to RHI in sports are children under the age of 18.”
The report goes on to observe that, “sports organisations may be concerned that if their sport is shown to cause cases of chronic-traumatic-encephalopathy (CTE), viewership patterns may change, and parents may consider steering their children toward sports that do not result in RHI” and that, “as it stands today, tens of millions of children as young as 5 years old are exposed to RHI in sports because they are playing by rules that were originally designed for adults.”
(Rule modifications for contact sports are now being considered by many codes)
Overall the report states that, “we can, and should, do what is possible to prevent children from developing CTE before they can possibly understand how CTE might impact their future.” It is encouraging to see steps being taken by some sporting codes to implement concussion management practices, however experimental rule modifications may need to be formally embedded for all school-age players before the wider community accepts that all necessary steps to avoid injury are being taken. You can read the full report by clicking here.
Hutt City Seminar Echoes Community Concerns …
Last week, "Fraser Park Sportsville" hosted the latest in the Association’s national seminar series on the impact of the Incorporated Societies Act 2022. Representatives of Hutt City community clubs grew their understanding of the new legislation and how it will affect them.
(Fraser Park Sportsville is the home to seven different community sport entities)
The next seminars, scheduled in August, will be hosted by "Sport Manawatu" (on 18 August) and "Sport Canterbury" (on 24 August) in Palmerston North and Christchurch respectively. Please contact either of these organisations in you'd like to attend these seminars.
Christchurch Model Yacht Club (1898) Inc. Joins Association …
Based at Lake Victoria in North Hagley Park (an artificial lake created to celebrate the 60th jubilee of Queen Victoria's coronation), the Christchurch Model Yacht Club was formed in June 1898, (although there are reports of model yacht racing in Lyttleton Harbour as early as the late 1870's). It is New Zealand’s oldest model yacht club,and the second oldest in the world. While the club caters for social sailing and model enthusiasts, it also holds competitive pennant races in accordance with the rules of "Radio Sailing".
(The CMYC Inc. is the second oldest club of its sport, in the world)
With reference to the first story in this week’s newsletter, in 1970 the club’s rental fee (per member) for the use of Lake Victoria was raised from $2.10 to $7.90 by the City Council, to some disquiet. Today, the club has nearly 100 financial members. It is a member of the New Zealand Radio Yachting Association Inc., which has 15 member clubs nationally.
(The history of model yacht racing in New Zealand dates back to the 1870's)
Clubs Continue To Be Unaware Of Their Dissolution …
Many community sport entities contacted by the Association following their dissolution by the Registrar on 7 July this year, say that they are unaware that they are no longer incorporated and are continuing to operate "as normal" irrespective of their dissolved status.
(Many incorporated clubs believe they are meeting their obligations, when they aren't)
In some cases, clubs the Association contacted had assumed that all of their regulatory requirements were being met and were surprised to learn that their legal status had been removed, with many apparently not receiving notification of their impending dissolution. It is clear that while many incorporated community sport entities want to ensure that they do the right thing in terms of meeting their obligations under the Act, they lack (in many cases), the necessary knowledge, competence and skills to do so.
European Football Clubs Aim To Become “Net Zero” …
Researchers and students at De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) are working with two European community football clubs to achieve “Net Zero” status, with the aim of both clubs becoming net-zero in carbon emissions in all aspects of the game. This includes travel to games, the players’ diets and nutrition, the kits the players wear to train, the clubhouses and lighting, recycling practices and inclusive values. You can read more about this project, here.
(Climate change is an increasing focus for many community sport entities)
The initiative follows the launch of the “Football for the Goals” initiative by the United Nations, which aims to tap into the power of football not only to raise awareness and recognition of Sustainable Development Goals, but to also achieve behavioural change and sustainable practices in the football industry. You can read more about this initiative, here.
From The Archives …
RUGBY FOOTBALL
AUCKLAND STAR, VOLUME LVII, ISSUE 150, 26 JUNE 1926, PAGE 25
“We are proud of the fact," said Mr. E. ("Dodger") Price, coach of the Petone club, Wellington, "that thirteen of our senior players have graduated from our school team. The remaining two have come to live with us and have taken their chances with the rest. We never go after a player, and never go on reputation."
"We tell all our boys that they have the chance of gaining a place in our senior team, and last year 17 juniors were tried out during different periods of the season. We could have had a five-eighths who has played for his province from one of the city clubs, but it might have meant leaving out one of our men who has won his way up through the grades.”
Ernest “Dodger” Price was born on 29 December 1885, the son of Thomas and Rosa Price, one of seven children. Along with “Piccolo” Ashton, “Stumpy” Dent, “Doc” Nicholls, “Kruger” Parker, “Nobby” Ryan, “Polly” Parrant and “Dufty” Corson, Ernie Price was a rugby union player for the Petone club in the early part of last century, who later went on (following a career-ending leg injury in 1910), to become a respected rugby selector, coach and administrator.
(Ernie Price, left, with the championship-winning Petone side of 1930)
“Dodger”, who was a land and estate agent, was not only active in rugby union. He was involved in the Petone Rowing Club, the Petone Junior Athletic Cub, the Petone Amateur Swimming and Life-Saving Club, the Petone Boxing Club and the Petone Cricket Club. He was a Life Member of the Petone Football Club (1931) and the Wellington Trotting Club (1946).
On 14 October 1919, Ernie married Ina Louisa Drummond, with whom he had a son, David George. The family lived at York Bay in Eastbourne. As noted, under the leadership of Price, the Petone rugby club put considerable effort into coaching teenagers and in the 1920s Ernie volunteered as coach of Petone District High School team. He continued as coach of the Petone senior rugby team until 1932.
(Ernie Price and his brother John, right both became President of the Wellington Rugby Union)
On the death of Alexander McBain in 1933, Ernie was elected a Vice-President of the Wellington Rugby Football Union in McBain's place.
In 1939 and 1940, Ernie became President of the Wellington Rugby Union, with his younger brother John being elected to the same role in 1957. A Justice of the Peace who presided in the Petone Court, Ernie Price died on 16 August 1972 and is buried in the Taita Cemetery.
The Final Word …
"A back should never pass when the man he intends to send the ball to is in a worse position than himself."
(Ernie Price provides some rugby "and life" wisdom in 1926)