13/07/2020

Kia Ora 

Sector News from Sport NZ

The following is the media release from the Minister of Sport and Recreation on the 7th July. 

$80 million for sport recovery at all levels 

Grant Robertson has today announced the first major release of funding from the $265 million Sport Recovery Package announced at Budget 2020.  

“Today we’re setting out how $80 million will be invested, with $54 million of that over the 2020/2021 financial year for organisations from community level through to elite level.  

“All levels of the sector have been affected by COVID-19 and this funding is focused on making sure the sector continues to thrive, while also ensuring New Zealanders can continue to maintain their wellbeing through physical activity. 

This first release of funding from the Sport Recovery Package includes:

  • A $68 million fund (Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa) to support community sport. This builds on the KiwiSport Regional Partnership fund to provide quality opportunities for young people who are missing out, particularly in higher deprivation areas. ($34 million is from the Sport Recovery Package with the remaining $34 million from existing Sport NZ baselines).
  • A $25.4 million fund for Sport NZ’s national partners to strengthen and adapt.  This funding will also support specific sports with the cost of running premier national leagues affected by COVID-19 (including basketball).
  • $10 million for a second Community Resilience Fund to provide further immediate support to a broader range of eligible local and regional organisations.
  • An initial $7.3 million package to improve facilities for New Zealand’s upcoming hosting of world cups.

The funds will open for application by the end of August - details on Sport NZ’s website.

“Sport NZ has also earmarked $3 million for individuals and families in financial hardship who are unable to take part in sport and recreation opportunities. Details on how this funding will be distributed will be released in coming weeks. 

“All the funding announced today, and the remainder of the package will continue to place a specific emphasis on groups who are traditionally less active or are missing out, including women and girls, Māori, disabled people and our high deprivation communities.”

“Having prioritised initiatives that focus on the areas in most need of support, Sport NZ will continue to engage with the sector to decide how the remaining $180 million is best spent over the next four years to help sport recover, strengthen and adapt,” Grant Robertson said. 

Click on the button below for further details provided by Sport NZ. Of most interest is the re-opening of the Community Resilience Fund which many Table Tennis Associations and Clubs should consider . Please discuss this with your Regional Sport Trust. 

Play, Active Recreation and Sport Recovery Package

      Our Website

Sportsground are in the process of re designing our website. In the meantime, Chris Young has updated many aspects of our current website, in line with expected changes soon. You will notice changes to our menu bar aligned to the pillars of our strategy. 

Affiliation Fees

Many thanks to those Associations that have paid the first instalment. An invoice has been issued for the remaining balance to be paid in three instalments in August, October and December. Should any Association wish to discuss with me a special arrangement in the payment of these fees , due to financial difficulty , please contact me.   

Respectful behaviours as we begin the season of competitive tournaments

In the next few months, many tournaments will be held, with strong competitive attitudes becoming evident. There will be moments when players, officials, coaches, volunteers, parents may have strong opinions or feel aggrieved or suffer stress.

We must not accept disrespectful behaviours. 

Most importantly, we must encourage respectful behaviour.

  • We welcome everyone -people matter the most.
  • We are passionate and have fun. 
  • We are respectful and act with integrity and understanding.
  • We promote safe and healthy environments free from physical and mental harm

When managing stressful situations… 

  • Be calm, polite and respectful 
  • Raise your concerns in an appropriate manner and at an appropriate time and place.
  • Be prepared to listen and to understand the other person’s perspective.
  • Be prepared to accept criticism and to genuinely reflect on this constructively.
  • Be sincere when agreeing on a course of action
  • Be careful not to react too hastily. When you are in a unpleasant or stressful situation it may feel good initially to react without thinking but this is not great in the long term as you may say or do something that you later regret.
  • Do not post your grievance on social media

      Children in Sport

When implementing programmes for children and discussing with the parents/care giving the coaching of children , you may find the following information and website interesting. 

It was provided to me by Simone Spencer, Portfolio Manager – Women & Girls, Coach Development, Good Sports®, Aktive. 

New Zealand and international research have indicated that there has been a gradual decline in the number of children participating in organised sport opportunities over the past decade. 

Thought leaders in community sport, both in New Zealand and internationally, recognise that this decline is underpinned by a complex interaction of changing societal patterns. Ultimately, many of today’s sport experiences are no longer meeting children’s needs as effectively as they could.

Importantly, adults in their various roles (parents, coaches, teachers and sport administrators) are critical for enabling sport experiences which meet the needs of a child. Unfortunately, research indicates that (even despite the best of intent at times) adults can inhibit children from having great sport experiences. 

The following examples of challenges in contemporary youth sport illustrate how pivotal adults are to children having good or bad experiences:

  • An uncomfortable pattern of kids standing and watching at practice as adults control activities and take the play out of the game
  • The poaching of players and construction of ‘super teams’
  • Evidence of Relative Age Effect where there is a tendency in early age groups to make selection decisions that favour children born earlier in the year
  • Rigid movement patterns and limited opportunities for children to develop a range of functional skills
  • Adults berating officials and kids from the sidelines; some instances leading to violence
  • Families starting year-round training earlier in hopes of reaching elite status
  • A growing number of children losing confidence in their sport, not returning for a second season, and/or leaving sports altogether
  • Clubs and organisations holding traditional but outdated models of competition that no longer serve the needs of young people.

We know that this isn’t the case for everyone. There are many examples of adults who focus on creating quality experiences. Unfortunately, problems such as those mentioned above prevail enough for a collective call to address the issues outlined, as well as others. 

Too many of our adults around youth sports seem to miss the big picture. They mistake the value of healthy competition for the need to win-at-all costs. Short-term performance becomes a way of unfairly labeling both current and future ability. The culture of professional, adult sport all-too-easily creeps onto the pitch of unassuming eight, 12 and 16-year-old children who trust the experience and passion of a talented former player or well-meaning volunteer parent.  

Good Sports was established out of recognition that supporting and educating adults is crucial to ensure Kiwi kids have the best chance of having positive sporting experiences and ultimately growing a lifelong love of sport.

You can find more information on Good Sports on our website https://aktive.org.nz/good-sports/ or view of FB page https://www.facebook.com/GoodSportsNZ

Best wishes to all for some wonderful tournament experiences . 

Kind regards/ Nga Mihi 

Warren Ogilvie 

CEO, Table Tennis NZ 

ceo@tabletennis.nz