Northern Football Federation: He is known by his peers as being a big stickler for rules, so it comes as no surprise that Long Bay College student Ben Matthews tried his hand at refereeing. He hasn’t looked back. The 17-year old is a keen footballer and juggling both school and club football commitments meant time wasn’t on his side to take up the whistle earlier. “I had been wanting to be a qualified referee for a long time but I wouldn’t have been able to juggle refereeing and playing for…
Read MoreYear: 2018
Basketball to overtake rugby, netball as most popular secondary schools sport
1 News Now: Census figures from the New Zealand Secondary School Sports Council show basketball has overtaken football as the third most-played sport. On current growth trends, it will become the most popular in 2020. In 2017 a total of 25,649 secondary school students played basketball in a way deemed by the NZSSSC to be “meaningful engagement” in a school setting. Netball retains top spot despite their numbers falling to 28,455 while rugby has dropped to 26,951. Basketball NZ chief executive Iain Potter says his organisation has been working hard…
Read MoreAuckland schoolboy Christian Tuipulotu weighs up his options
Central Leader: A 16-year-old Auckland school boy has some tough choices to make with professional rugby and rugby league clubs both showing interest in his ability. Christian Tuipulotu caught the eye of the Warriors early and signed a three-year deal with the Kiwi rugby league franchise when he was just 13. Since then, the St Paul’s College head boy has captained the New Zealand under 16 rugby league side, played New Zealand schoolboys in the 15-man game, all while upholding excellence level academic results. He was also invited to train with…
Read MoreLeading your players to greatness in Counties Manukau with Dr. Ralph Pim
Aktive – Auckland Sport & Recreation, Good Sports and CLM Counties Manukau present inspirational teacher, dynamic team builder, energetic leader and author Dr. Ralph Pim. Dr. Pim is recognized as a national expert in character and leader development through sport. After serving as a Professor of Physical Education and Director of Competitive Sports for 12 years at the United States Military Academy at West Point, Dr. Pim is now sharing his experiences and expertise globally as a speaker and consultant. If you’re a parent, coach, teacher, club leader or simply…
Read More14-year-old batsman Muhammad Abbas making waves in Auckland cricket
NZ Herald: Auckland is booming with cricket talent, fuelled by an influx of South African and Asian players. One player is standing out though — 14-year-old Muhammad Abbas who plays for Eden Roskill and is on the verge of making the Kings College first XI. It’s the rapidly rising number of centuries which sets Abbas apart, leading some observers to wonder if he is a superstar on the rise. Abbas, the son of former Auckland Aces bowler and bowling coach Azhar Abbas, has already notched seven centuries. Two of those…
Read MoreFormer Blues first-five Tasesa Lavea believes too much pressure on young rugby players
Newshub: Former dual-code international Tasesa Lavea has weighed in on the Etene Nanai-Seturo debate currently causing chaos between the New Zealand Warriors and New Zealand Rugby (NZR). The 18-year-old has been subject to a tug-of-war battle between NZR and the Warriors, whom he is under contract with until the end of 2019. Lavea is currently the head coach of Kings College first XV. Nanai-Seturo handed in a letter of “resignation” to the Warriors last year, but he has not officially been released and is still contracted to the club. Despite…
Read MoreAuckland junior sports stalwart shares tips to reduce abusive sideline support
East & Bays Courier: Sideline abuse from parents is getting worse at Auckland junior sports events, a volunteer says. Alejo Leguizamon has been around grassroots sport for more than two decades. He coaches his kid’s football side at Ellerslie AFC and runs the junior futsal program at East City Futsal. The amount of verbal sideline abuse in New Zealand sport was increasing and people not willing to report it were adding to the problem, Leguizamon said. In 2015, a Stuff survey found that 53 per cent of respondents said they witnessed constant and aggressive shouting from the sidelines, while 20…
Read MoreNZ Teams named for World Junior Ultimate Championships
New Zealand Ultimate is proud to announce the New Zealand teams that will compete at the World Junior Ultimate Championships to take place in Waterloo, Canada from 19-25 August 2018. New Zealand will be represented in both the Under 20 Men’s and Under 20 Women’s divisions. The teams have been selected out of the National Training Squad, a group of players who have been working with the national coaches with a series of camps in 2017 and early 2018. The NTS was itself selected following performances at the NZ Secondary School Ultimate…
Read MoreNZSS Netball Squad for 2018 Announced
A 23-strong squad has been named following the National Development Camp in Cambridge last week. NZSS coach Mary-Jane Araroa said a final team would be named after the NZ Age Group Championships in July in the build-up to matches against the Australian Under-17 squad in Canberra in September. “We are excited with what we have seen at the National Development Camp and opted to name a squad at this time to enable us to monitor and track these athletes over the next six months” she said. Araroa said the National…
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