Issue 64 : 20 September 2020

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.

As we start “Mental Health Awareness Week”, it’s timely to reflect on the importance of community sport in providing both physical and mental well-being for all New Zealanders.



Moreover, as we approach the General Election, our politicians need to be reminded that the delivery of sport, "by local communities, for local communities" through not-for-profit clubs, continues to be the fundamental building-block for our Kiwi sporting lives.

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.

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


Over 1,000 Clubs Complete 2020 National Sport Club Survey ...

The 2020 National Sports Club Survey (NSCS) closed this week, with nearly 1,100 clubs providing a response. All regions of New Zealand participated, with nearly two-thirds (64%) of responses originating from North Island sports clubs.



The Auckland, Wellington, Canterbury and Otago regions in aggregate accounted for just over 50% of survey responses, with the Waikato, Hawkes Bay, Taranaki, Bay of Plenty and Southland regions accounting for a further 30% of survey responses received. The Top-10 responses by sporting code were: Bowls (outdoor and indoor); Croquet; Rugby Union; Golf; Tennis; Netball; Football; Hockey; Athletics (incl. Harriers) and Cricket.



It's expected that initial NSCS insights will be circulated on Friday, 9 October. Details of upcoming regional workshops covering 2020 NSCS insights will be provided in the near future.


Historic Manaia Tennis Club Dissolved By Registrar ...

The Manaia Tennis Club was first incorporated 115 years ago, in March 1905. Earlier this month, it was the latest community sports club to be dissolved by the Registrar of Incorporated Societies, prompting the Association to make contact with the Club President, Helen Johnston, who has played for the Club for 50 years, (since the age of 12).



Now only offering mid-week ladies tennis, Helen noted that the Club has won the Taranaki Section 1 competition for the past decade and while unaware that the Club had been dissolved by the Registrar, confirmed that it was still very much in active operation and an important part of the local sporting community.

The Club has a rich history, with William Spiers Glenn who was made an All Black in 1904 and who was a member of “the Originals” team which toured the British Isles and North America in 1905-1906, becoming President of the Club on his return to New Zealand.


(All Black William Glenn was an early President of the Manaia Tennis Club)


The Club was first formed in 1886, playing regular matches against teams from the neighbouring Taranaki towns of Hawera, Kaponga, Patea and Opunake. In recent years, the Club has played in the Soffe Cup inter-club tennis competition, with the Club now being based as part of the Manaia Sports Complex. The current Club has four hard-courts and four astro-turf courts and is now lookimg to reverse the dissolution with haste.


(Today, the Manaia Tennis Club shares premises with the Rugby Football Cub)


The Association seeks reform of the regulatory process by which club dissolutions are being undertaken by the Registrar, which exposes clubs operating on limited resources, (usually solely reliant on volunteers), to commercial and legal risk.


Most Parents Enrol Their Children In Sport For Life Skills ...

A study published in the "Journal of Amateur Sport" has reported that parents primarily enrol their children in recreational sports in order to enhance their social and life skills, rather than to promote their opportunity for a career as a professional sportsperson.

The main reason that parents enrolled their children, according the research undertaken by the University of Florida, was to develop teamwork and leadership skills, followed by the physical benefits which arise from the exercise that sport provides. The research which questioned the parents, grandparents and guardians of children aged from 4 to 16, found that only 1% wanted their children participating in sport due to the future career opportunities which might arise.



The dramatic drop-off in sport participation in late teenage years may well be the result of these valued-based goals being diluted by the impact of some sporting codes’ focus on "talent-identification", which for many teenagers changes the reasons why they “play the game”.

Losing sight of the social benefits arising from being part of a community-based game during secondary school years, is probably the biggest single factor contributing to non-participation in community sport as an adult.



You can read the full study, by clicking here.


“Play Day” On Thursday, 8 October ...

The Weliington City Mission, with the support of the Wellington City Council and the Association, is hosting a “Play Day” at the National Hockey Stadium, in Newtown. The objective of the event, which is being organised by Association Board Member, Ray Tuffin is to provide children with an opportunity to experience a range of different sports, in a supportive and fun environment.



This initiative aligns with the work already by Wellington City Mission in establishing Community Sports Banks around the region, providing access to sports equipment for those who need it, to participate. "Play Day" is free to attend from 10.00am to 2.00pm, with lunch and refreshments supplied. To find out more, contact Ray Tuffin, by clicking here.


40% Rely On Grant Funding For Team Uniforms ...

A recent survey undertaken by the Association on behalf of Dynasty Sport has revealed that 40% of sports clubs are reliant on grant-funding to pay for their team uniforms. Team uniforms are critical for all sports clubs given they show “identity” (of the team and the community they represent), “unity” (all members of the team represent the values of the Clubs) and “equality” (given all members of the team use their individual talents to create success for the Club).



With grant-funding now under threat arising from the economic consequences of COVID-19, there is a looming out-fitting issue for nearly one-half of all community sports clubs in New Zealand. A June 2020 survey undertaken by Philanthropy New Zealand suggested that as a result of the uncertain economic outlook, indications are that grant-funders may distribute around $21 million less in the year ahead.

You can read more, here.


Community Sport Clubs Held In Highest Esteem ...

A new survey from Melbourne’s Swinburne University has found that Australians think community sports organisations do more for "the greater good" than government, religious organisations, or business. Only charities and public sector institutions are perceived more favourably by the general community.



The survey confirmed that community sports clubs are largely sustained and operated by volunteers, with public service a key motivation. “Community sport clubs build community cohesion, helping local people build friendships and social connections. Unlike large charitable organisations where there are concerns about donations being allocated to cover administrative costs, local organisations with high levels of community involvement – like community sport clubs – engender greater levels of public trust.”



However, there's a growing fear in Australia that local clubs will be replaced by larger sport organisations with corporate leadership and governance structures, because of “growing market pressures”. A possible unintended consequence of this may be a corresponding decline in public trust in the leadership and governance of sport overall, a prospect that should be of concern to New Zealanders as well.

You can read more here.


From The Archives ...

ASSOCIATION NOTES

EVENING POST, VOLUME LXXIV, ISSUE 54, 31 AUGUST 1907

“One of the most interesting figures at the Association matches each Saturday is Mr Bob Davenport, President of the Diamond Club. Usually he is to be heard behind the Diamond goal urging his men on to victory. In earlier years, he coached the boys on the reclaimed land at Thorndon, and so great was his interest in sport that for four years he devoted the whole of his Saturdays in winter to Association, refereeing in two matches in the morning and two in the afternoon. No less than 433 boys have passed through his hands as footballers.

Mr. Davenport, as may be imagined from the foregoing remarks, is full of energy; never wastes a moment. If he is not working at his trade as a plumber, he is giving rowing a lift on, or teaching his "boys" the art of self-defence. It is said on the best authority that up to the present time he has taught no less than 120 boys to box.

Some people might ask - what does he get out of it all? Monetarily speaking, absolutely nothing. He is the loser. Why, in the four matches that he used to referee in each Saturday, he even provided the goalposts. Mr Bob Davenport is about one of the most genuine sports in this colony. He is not only prepared to sacrifice time for it, but is and always was prepared to put up his spare cash to further its cause.”


(The Diamond Football Club. Winners Junior Championship, 1902 - Bob Davenport circled)


Robert Henry (“Bob”) Davenport was born in Victoria, Australia in 1861. He was the only son of Henry Davenport, who emigrated to Australia and then New Zealand from Chorley in Lancashire, eventually settling in Wellington in 1874 where he established a plumbing business at 216 Tinakori Road.

Bob served as President of the Diamond (Association) Football Club (founded in 1893) for 25 years, from 1896 to 1920. He also founded the Pearl (Association) Football Club in 1895 as a feeder-club for junior players (those aged 17 years and under), serving as both Honorary Secretary and Treasurer. The Diamond Club was originally a Rugby Union Club based in Thorndon, which played in black shirt with a pink monogram on the left breast. The Club originally played on the ungrassed grounds of the Manawatu Railway Company in Thorndon.

Bob’s involvement in football also included roles on the management committees of the Wellington Football Association and the Wellington Junior Football Association. A football referee, Davenport was also a member of the Wellington Rowing Club and a founding Commmitee Member of the Old Navals’ Association in 1898.


(The Pearls Football Club, Winners Junior Championship, 1903 - Bob Davenport circled)


Bob married Margaret Scarff in 1883 with whom he had three children, Robert Henry, Lionel Harold and Annie. An active member of the Wellington Ratepayers Association, he unsuccessfully stood for the Thorndon Ward in the local body elections of the early 1900s.

The inventor and patent-holder of the arch (or saddle) lead-headed roofing-nail in 1886, in 1908 Bob Davenport was declared a “discharged bankrupt” following his purchase of a valueless patent for a new type of roofing skylight. Remembered for his homely advice in which he frequently exhorted players to “play the game!”, Bob Davenport died in September 1922 and is buried in Wellington’s historic Bolton Street Cemetery.


The Final Word ...

“Sports clubs are where people meet friends, build communities and engage in civic activities, further improving their overall well-being.”

(ENGSO - the European Non-Governmental Sports Organisation)


© 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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