Kickstarting Junior Rugby: Massey Club Scores Big with NZCT Grant

New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT) has awarded $15,000 to Auckland’s Massey Rugby Union Club to fund new Junior playing jerseys, allowing the club to fully outfit its teams and support growing female participation.

Grants Manager Rhys Hogg says, "Female participation is the growth area in our club and across Aotearoa. It’s great we can finally fulfil our promise to these young athletes with jerseys designed for them."

The grant will complete the club’s replacement of more than 500 jerseys, which were over ten years old. Massey Rugby has been taking feedback from girls’ teams over the last few years to ensure the new jerseys meet their needs. Last year, fundraising covered half the jerseys, and now, thanks to NZCT’s support, all teams - including female squads - will be fully kitted out.

Dave Peck, U18 Girls Rip Coach, says, "As a coach of three daughters in the U18 girls rep team, the new female-specific jerseys are going to be amazing for our team. When the last jerseys were bought, there were very few girls playing Junior rugby, and certainly no 13–18-year-olds. It’s great that Massey Rugby Club and NZCT can support our girls by supplying female jerseys."

NZCT’s General Manager of Grants, Marketing and Communications Ben Hodges says "We want to see as many young people as possible participating in and enjoying the benefits of sport. It’s  especially good to help young women explore new sports. NZCT can fund this community good thanks to the fundraising partnerships we share with local hospitality venues via their responsible gaming lounges."