Issue 22 : 27 January 2019
Talofa Lava, Kia Orana, Malo E Leilei, Tena Koutou, Hello ...
... and welcome to the first issue for 2019, 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.
National Amateur Sport Club Survey – Auckland Seminar ...
An invitation is extended to all interested in attending the Association’s Auckland seminar, based on insights from 2018’s inaugural National Amateur Club Survey, on Wednesday, 20 February.
The seminar will be held between 5.00pm and 6.00pm at AUT’s South Campus, 640 Great South Rd, in Manukau. To register to attend, please click here.
Amateur Sports Hour – 2019 ...
The Amateur Sports Hour will be broadcasting once again in 2019, featuring news and articles about amateur sports clubs, teams and players from around New Zealand.
Proudly supported by Te Upoko o Te Ika (www.teupoko.co.nz), the Amateur Sports Hour is New Zealand’s only broadcast media programme to feature and promote those who participate in sport, “for the love of the game”. Further details will follow shortly.
Sport & A Civil Society ...
In the UK, the Government has aligned policy development and decisions regarding sport, with its goals for building a "better society", through the "Minister of Sport & Civil Society".
The Government is implementing a "Civil Society Strategy" which, among other things, is looking at ways "to get young people aged between 10 and 20 involved in social action and volunteering using sport and physical activity."
The strategy includes the creation of “Satellite Clubs” which are “outposts of community sports clubs on school or college campuses, which encourage young people to transition from school sport, to being active in their own time”.
In many New Zealand sports, the drop-off in teenage participation as secondary school ends is acute, with a similar strategy for New Zealand perhaps an effective way to address this.
The Association has written to the Minister for Sport & Recreation, Grant Robertson, to ask him to consider implementing a similar strategy which could be based on a centrally funded model, perhaps choosing one or two sporting codes with a significant national community presence, as a pilot programme.
Futsal Ferns Conquer Australia ...
Formed only two years ago, the fully amateur New Zealand’s Futsal Women’s Team claimed the Gold Coast International Futsal Challenge title in Australia last week, winning 6 out of 6 games played, defeating all Australian state teams and also the Australian Futsal team.
World Congress Of Sociology Of Sport 2019 ...
The International Sociology of Sport Association (ISSA) is holding its 2019 World Congress of Sociology of Sport in April, in Dunedin. Among other goals, ISSA members "explore the role, function and meaning of sport in the lives of people and the societies they form."
The theme of this year’s conference is "Sociology of Sport and Alternative Futures". The choice of theme recognises, that both state and private interests are increasingly aware of "sports’ strategic location at the intersection of key sectors of society including: education, health (including mental health), business and tourism/nation branding".
You can read more about ISSA, by clicking here.
Happiness Is Not Being A Professional Sportsman ...
Early this year, "Stuff" sports journalist Mark Reason wrote an article commenting on the retirement of All White Kip Colvey from professional football, at the young age of 24.
Reason wrote, “I attended a school leavers' celebration shortly before Christmas. The school has good sports facilities but is not renowned for producing streams of international athletes. And yet a remarkably high proportion of leavers said that their ambition was to become a professional sports man or woman. And I wanted to yell out, ARE YOU CRAZY?”
You can read the full article by clicking here.
From The Archives ...
DISTRICT PARS.
KING COUNTRY CHRONICLE, VOLUME III, ISSUE 139, 15 MARCH 1909
“The result of the guessing competition in connection with the Te Kuiti Sports resulted as follows: Number of beans in bottle, 2,188. Nearest guess, 2,222, by J. E. Jensen, 34 different. Misses G. Thom and H. Smith ran the winner close, their difference being 35 from the actual number of beans.”
In the years before World War One, the Te Kuiti Sports Club provided an important social and sporting event for King Country residents, with an annual Sports Day held at the Te Kuiti Domain. From 1909 to 1914, the Club invited entries to a range of contests, including a “champion chop” authorised by the New Zealand Axemen’s Association, for the 18-inch standing championship.
In 1935, the Club was revived following the Great War under the banner of “cash athletics”, offering prize money for professional athlete participation, following the Club's takeover of the Easter sports meeting, formerly run by the Friendly Societies Sports Club. However, in 1937, the Club decided to relinquish its professional status owing to the “scarcity of competitors” and “the consequent falling off in the standard of competition”.
Today, the concept of “cash athletics” is still a feature of some community sports events across New Zealand, where opportunities for elite and non-elite athletes to compete co-exist. The "Ride Waikato" cycling event held over the past week in the Cambridge region, is a contemporary example, linking "participation" with "performance".
The Final Word ...
"Sport has the power to boost physical and mental wellbeing, while teaching important life skills."
(Mims Davies, Minister of Sport & Civil Society, UK)