POSITIVE OUTCOMES FOR RUGBY LEAGUE
Building a brighter future for rugby league
The term three results of the Waikato and Bay of Plenty KiwiSport rugby league programmes have just come in and the results are really exciting. Last term, these NZCT funded development programmes enabled nearly 4,000 school aged students in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions to receive rugby league coaching, and be involved in league games and tournaments. Three quarters of the children who participated had never played rugby league before – so the programme is creating new sporting experiences and opportunities for young children in these regions.
Organiser Marcus Reynolds says the programme, which was introduced in January this year to raise awareness of league and attract young players, is proving to be very popular.
“So far this year, the programme has reached more than 12,000 school children – with around 9,000 of these being new to league,” says Mr Reynolds.
“Our programme involved more than 500 volunteers, with around 200 now having received their New Zealand Rugby League Mini-Mod coaching qualification,” he says.
“The programme has created increased demand for organised rugby league competitions, so our focus for 2012 will be setting up regular League-Tag tournaments for the schools. This is particularly important for schoolchildren living in geographically isolated communities – they are really enjoying having a sport and coaches come to them.
“As a sport, we are extremely happy with the progress and the benefit we are bringing to the communities we visit.”
This photo shows the Bay of Plenty KiwiSport Officer introducing the children of Raukokore, a tiny East Cape settlement, to rugby league.
