Issue 91 : 3 October 2021
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 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.
National Sport Club Survey (NSCS) – Initial Insights Released ...
On Friday, the NSCS Project Team released its initial insights from the 2021 survey. Just 5.1% of sport clubs report losing money in 2021, which is fewer than 2020 (11%) and similar to what was reported in 2019 and 2018. The average membership of a sport club in New Zealand has also rebounded in 2021. Clubs report an average of 200 members, which is where that metric was in 2018. A decrease had been observed in 2019 (190) and 2020 (175).
The percentage of those under age 30 on a sport club board or committee was just 8%, which has been consistent for the past three years. In both 2019 and 2020, the percentage of female board and committee members in New Zealand’s sport clubs was steady at 44%. In 2021, that has risen to 49% which is an indication of greater gender parity in the leadership of sport clubs. However, just 27% of clubs report that their board or committee is chaired by a female.
Further 2021 NSCS insights by region and sporting code will be disseminated over coming weeks. You can download the full Media Release by clicking here.
Enterprise Swim Team Club Wins Dynasty Sport $500 Voucher ...
First formed in 1965, the Enterprise Aquatic Swim Team Club in Gisborne has won the $500 Dynasty Sport Prize Draw for completing the 2021 National Sport Club Survey.
(Club President, Gary Martin, centre - photo courtesy of the Gisborne Herald)
The Enterprise Swim club has over 150 registered competitive swimmers ranging in age from 6 to 22 years old. The club is passionate about seeing young people learn how to swim and thrive in the water. The club operates the only indoor weather-proof pool in Tairawhiti. The facility is used widely by the local community and is key to teaching local children about water safety.
(The Enterprise Aquatic Club supports pool swimmers, triathletes and surf lifesavers)
Club President, Gary Martin told the Association that since the pool was first opened by the Club in 1984 (at which time it was little more than a tin shed over a 25-metre pool), it has grown to become a fully integrated swimming facility which has produced (to date) over 17 national swimming representatives, not including those Club members who are also involved in the closely associated sports of surf life-saving and triathlon.
Mental Health Awareness Week Points To Benefit Of Community Clubs ...
"Mental Health Awareness Week" ends today. As readers will no doubt agree, sport clubs play a key role in promoting physical and mental health, by offering positive, inclusive opportunities for social interaction of all kinds, within local communities. It is surprising that Government is not doing more to support this role at a time when many individuals and families are experiencing social dislocation arising from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on New Zealand society.
In 2018, Sport New Zealand wrote a submission to the Mental Health Inquiry established by the Government, focusing on the benefits of physical activity on mental well-being, with only one brief reference to the role of clubs as possibly “an under-utilised avenue for accessing some high-risk population groups”. This Association suggests that clubs are fundamental to creating well-being for all members of society, not just those the Government considers to be “high-risk”. This could well be a "blind-spot" for our sport policy-makers.
(Sport clubs provide mental well-being for all, not just those considered to be high-risk)
The theme for Mental Health Awareness Week in 2021 was “mā te kōrero, ka ora”, or "a little chat can go a long way". We warmly invite Sport New Zealand and the Government to chat with the Association about how to better utilise our national infrastructure of over 7,500 sport clubs as an under-utilised asset to benefit the mental health of all New Zealanders.
Incorporated Societies Act Reform – Second Reading Imminent ...
Of the 45 Government Bills in Select Committee in New Zealand’s 53rd Parliament, the Incorporated Societies Bill has received the 10th largest number of submissions (116), (double the median number of submissions received overall), indicating the high degree of public interest in this key reform. The findings of the Economic Development, Science and Innovation Select Committee on the Bill, are due to be reported back to Parliament on Wednesday, 6 October ahead of the Bill's Second Reading.
(116 submissions were received on the Incorporated Societies Bill)
Last week, the Association wrote to all parliamentary political parties and asked them for a response to the following three questions: 1. has their Party specifically considered the impact of the Incorporated Societies Bill (as drafted) on the sport and recreation sector?; 2. does their Party consider that the recommendations made by the Association in its submission, may assist sport clubs in meeting their obligations under the Bill?; and 3. does their Party consider that the Bill will support and sustain incorporated sport clubs as the key delivery method for sport in local communities? Noting that it had not made a submission on the Bill, the Association also contacted Sport New Zealand, with similar questions, seeking its endorsement of the Association's submission. (To date, no responses have been received).
Australian Sports Foundation Paints Grim Picture Of Club Landscape ...
Responses to a recent survey by the Australian Sports Foundation paint a vivid picture of the challenges faced by community sports clubs all over Australia due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey results raise serious concerns in three key areas: financial instability; declining participation; and declining volunteering.
The survey responses also showed that local sports clubs are deeply embedded in their communities, with many going out of their way to support members suffering as a result of the pandemic - either financially, or from mental health challenges.
(Nearly half of Australian sport clubs cannot source needed volunteers)
The survey found that on average, clubs had lost $18,500 in revenue as a result of not being able operate, 42% cannot source volunteers to support the operations of their club, 60% are concerned about a decline in participation and membership and 1 in 10 fear organisation insolvency. You can read the full report by clicking here.
"Mahi Tahi" – Health Through Movement – 28 October ...
A reminder, for those in the Wellington region, that you can join local communities, organisations and researchers for a wānāanga-style event with kōrōerorero around the connection between movement and the health and well-being of our whānāau and local communities on Thursday, 28 October. More details can be found here.
From The Archives ...
FOOTBALL
EVENING POST, VOLUME XLIII, ISSUE 80, 4 APRIL 1892, PAGE 2
“There is some probability of T. Hoar, who played three-quarter for the Melrose Club, and who has been lately playing for the Merivale Club, Christchurch, returning to Wellington. He will considerably strengthen the ranks of the Melrose.”
There is no doubt that Thomas George Hoar was an invaluable member of all of the sport clubs with which he was associated throughout his life. Tom was born in England in 1869, the son of Matthew and Susan Hoar who emigrated to New Zealand in 1874 aboard the Howrah with their son, and with Matthew’s brother Zephaniah, who settled in Masterton. Mark and Zephaniah were builders and Thomas became a monumental mason, serving his apprenticeship with Mr G. Heyler in Wellington. Following a brief period living in Christchurch, Thomas married Annie Elizabeth Hoane in 1890 and moved to Masterton from Wellington in 1899. establishing himself as the region’s first monumental mason.
He was a prominent Wellington (rugby union) footballer. Thomas was one of the founders of the Star Club in Wellington in 1885, and of the Melrose Club, which was formed in 1886. The Melrose Club won the junior championship in 1887. He played in the first junior inter-provincial rugby union match in New Zealand when Wellington met Wairarapa at Masterton on Saturday, September 17th, 1887. Wairarapa won by 3 points to 1, with Tom's cousin Alf in the opposing (winning) team. Earlier, he played rugby football in Christchurch, being a member of the Linwood Club. In 1888 he was Captain of the Klibirnie Cricket Club.
(Tom Hoar, circled, was heavily involved in his local community)
On moving to Masterton, he associated himself with the Red Star rugby football club, and for many years was its secretary and treasurer, as well as a vice-president, eventually becoming a referee. He was also a good cricketer and played over a long period of years for the Carlton Club, attaining Wairarapa representative honours in 1903.
He was a member of the Masterton Borough Council for six years and was connected with the Caledonian Society and various other local institutions. Thomas was undergoing medical treatment in Wellington for heart trouble, when he collapsed in the street while walking with his wife and died at the age of 56. He is buried in Masterton’s Archer Street cemetery. The monumental mason business he established was carried on by his two sons.
The Final Word ...
“We want to build a case to raise and inject funds into community sport. Because without those clubs, social cohesion, inclusion, physical and mental health will decline."
(Patrick Walker, CEO, Australian Sports Foundation)