Issue 16 : 14 October 2018

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. We hope you enjoy reading the articles below. 

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.

If you are interested in applying for membership of the Association, please click here.


Marae Based Sports Teams Support Strong Communities ...

Te Mahurehure Marae in Point Chevalier, Auckland hosts seven local rugby league teams which paticipate in competitions organised by New Zealand Maori Rugby League. According to Christine Pananpa, Chairperson of the Marae, providing marae-based sporting opportunities is paramount to creating a strong and vibrant community.



Last week, Christine formally became a Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit (MNZM) for her services to Sport and Maori, with her long involvement in Rugby League being specifically recognised in her award citation. 

She recalls (in conversation with the Editor this week), that the number of clubs and teams involved in the sport was a lot higher in the past, compared to today. She identifies a lack of volunteers, including Coaches and Administrators, as among the key reasons why there is less community involvement in sport nowadays. However, the Marae provides key infrastructure which allows Rugby League and Netball to continue to flourish in her local community.


(Dame Patsy Reddy and Christine Panapa at Government House)


A recipient of a New Zealand Rugby League Distinguished Service Award in 2003, Christine is the former Chairperson of New Zealand Women’s Rugby League, as well as being past Chairperson for St. Stephen’s School and Queen Victoria Maori Girls School and past President of the Maori Women’s Welfare League, South Auckland Branch.

The Association congratulates Christine on her award for service to the sporting community.


Viewpoint : The Importance Of Trophies ...

If you visit any Secondary School or Club, upon entering you will more than likely be greeted by a cabinet of gleaming trophies, representing the success of the various teams that the School or Club supports. Signs of success such as these are important in establishing the value of the sporting community (or "tribe"), as it seeks to differentiate itself from others with similar goals.



Historically, the pride in the display was intended to demonstrate the values of the community through sport. More often than not, trophies on display will be named after a person (or persons), whose contribution to the sporting community has resulted in their values and success being idealised in the trophy being competed for. 

Trophies with history and meaning generally invoke higher degrees of competitiveness and mutual respect for the rules of the game (and the skills exhibited by players within these rules). The trophy is therefore not an "object", but a "representation of ideals", awarded to those who best mirror them when in a competitive sporting environment and who carry these values into their daily lives, outside of sport.



There is always a risk that these ideals can become tarnished or misrepresented, when a trophy is overtly promoted for commercial purposes. When the desire to retain the trophy becomes more closely aligned to the defence of a commercial goal (at whatever the financial cost), rather than the defence of the community's values, then the trophy may eventually become a "trinket"; less valued by ideals, more valued by price.


New Strategy For Women And Girls In Sport ...

Using nine key metrics to measure and report against three priority areas of leadership, participation, and value and visibility, Sport New Zealand will receive an extra $10 million in Government funding over the next three years, to improve equality for New Zealand women and girls in sport and active recreation.

In supporting the case for the new strategy, Sport New Zealand reports that females are more likely than males to be dissatisfied with their sports club experience.



The Association’s recent National Amateur Club Survey asked respondents to describe the profile of their Club, to help identify the reasons why members join and remain members. In many cases, the initial results indicate these reasons can be based on much broader community factors (rather than the sport itself), with many Clubs offering an inclusive environment for a diverse membership group.

Providing funding which supports Amateur Sports Clubs being able to provide safe and inclusive environments for all community members, (irrespective of gender, race, religion or income), is likely to be equally beneficial to the goals of the Government’s broader strategy of a building a healthy, positive, respectful and equal society.


$780,000 Surplus Goes To Auckland Amateur Sport Organisations ...

The surplus generated from last year’s World Masters Games in Auckland has found its way back to the sports that were represented at the event. Half of the surplus was distributed by direct grant to the 28 primary sport partner organisations involved in the Games, with the remaining half being distributed to the same sports via a WMG2017 Legacy Fund.


(The next World Masters Games will be held in Japan, in 2021)


The direct grants included a fixed component of $6,973 for each sport, and a further pro-rated sum based on the number of participants who participated in the sport at the Games. This month, all 28 sports which participated in WMG2017 made an application to the Legacy Fund and all were successful, with funding awarded ranging from $10,000 to $15,400.


When "Size Matters" ...

In the world of professional Rugby Union, the heaviest player at the 2015 Rugby World Cup (Uini Atonio representing Samoa) weighed in at 155 kilograms. (Atonio was about as heavy as 150 litres of water). The average player weight for the 2015 Tournament was 102 kilograms, about 15 kilograms heavier than the average Kiwi male, (according to University of Otago and the Ministry of Health data).


(The biggest man in Rugby Union in 2015, Uini Atonio)


To achieve elite success in the sport of Rugby Union in the 21st century, “size matters” – and for many armchair spectators, the collision between players has become a highlight of the game. However in an effort to make the game safer for all participants, in Ireland last month, IRFU Medical Director Dr Rod McLoughlin called for immediate consideration of the amateur sport’s tackle (collision) area, concussion and ankle injuries as a result of findings from the first Irish Rugby Injury Surveillance (IRIS) research project.



The data collated produced findings that the tackle produced over half of match and training injuries, with male players likely to sustain a concussion more quickly than females. The majority of training injury events also differed between male and female, with most female training injuries a result of non-contact and set-piece drills, while for men the majority of injuries were a result of tackling and contact drills.


2018 Amateur Club Survey ...

The quantitative and qualitative analysis of New Zealand's inaugural survey of Amateur Sports Clubs is currently being undertaken by the Sport Leadership and Management Department of AUT (Auckland), under the leadership of Dr. Michael Naylor PhD (Sport Management).



The final survey results are currently expected to be made available during the first week of December, following which a series of regional seminars are intended to be held in Auckland, Hamilton, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin.

Copies of the full Survey Report will be made available to Financial Members of the Association.


From The Archives ...

DEFINITION OF TROPHIES

PRESS, VOLUME LXXI, ISSUE 21522, 11 JULY 1935

“The question whether poultry constitutes a trophy in the amateur sportsman's meaning of the word (the subject of a recent debate by the Christchurch Bowling Centre) was put before a higher tribunal yesterday, when the council of the New Zealand Bowling Association was asked at its annual meeting to define the word "trophy."

The Chairman, Mr F. J. Good (Christchurch), explained that the Christchurch Centre at a meeting some months ago had considered a case in which poultry (geese and turkeys in one case, and ducks in another), had been given as prizes at a Club Tournament open to all players.

The New Zealand Amateur Athletic Association's definition of an amateur was then cited by Mr Good. In substance it said that an amateur must not compete for a token which cannot be inscribed with some words that can commemorate the competition and that the prize must be able to be retained for a period longer than the life of the receiver."



"That would cut out a turkey", added Mr P. H. Rowe, (South Auckland).

"An article kept by a player as a lasting memento of the occasion," was the definition suggested by Mr F. A. Hosking, (Auckland). He had consulted the Oxford Dictionary and thought the definition in it particularly appropriate for bowls, "a prize gained on the field of battle."

"If one got a turkey and had him stuffed, it would be all right," said Mr S. M. Stone, (Wellington), as Mr Hosking's suggestion was adopted.”


The Final Word ...

“The true meaning of life, is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit.”

(Nelson Henderson)


© New Zealand Amateur Sport Association Inc. (2669211), 2017

Registered Office, Level 1, 57 Willis Street, Wellington, 6011

P O Box 582, Wellington, 6140


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