School Sport NZ have published their 2021 calendar of sanctioned national and island secondary school events. This release allows schools to include these sports events into their planning for 2021 and enables them to take advantage of early rates when booking travel and accommodation. The 2021 School Sport NZ Event Calendar can be found HERE.
Please note all details are correct at the time of release but unforeseen changes may occur. Some NSOs are still confirming venues due to the disruption of this year’s calendar. Any changes will be posted on the School Sport NZ website so please check regularly. Entry information and material as well as Health & Safety Plans for all events will also be posted on the School Sport NZ website so it is your first stop for all event information.
With almost 240 events available to schools and students in 2021, there will be no shortage of opportunities. The new tiered approach to the 2021 calendar of events is an opportunity for NSOs to bring to life many of the principles of the Sport NZ Balance is Better strategy aimed at engaging more of our young people in sport and physical activity.
Aligned to the 2020 review of the School Sport NZ Event Calendar, several of the new offerings will feature Carnival formats, a less formalised structure than our regular Championship and Cup events. The hope is that schools see these new events as an opportunity to ensure more students experience the physical, mental and social benefits of pulling on a school jersey and having fun with their friends.
The 2021 calendar includes restructured offerings from Hockey NZ. Regan Bain, HNZ National Tournament Coordinator said, “These exciting changes will allow more rangatahi the opportunity to participate in a high-quality event experience. The tournaments become more accessible for more schools and ultimately continue to grow the game of hockey across the country”.
Another notable change is the Rugby 7’s season structure, with both the Condor 7’s and SISS 7’s moving into Term 1. “Feedback from our School and Provincial Union stakeholders indicated a desire for the Condors Secondary School 7’s tournament to move into the Term 1 window. NZ Rugby supported this move as it creates a clear window for Sevens in Term 1, leaving the end of year for students to focus on their other activities,” said Callum McNair, NZR Secondary Schools Manager.
Reflecting School Sport NZ’s position that all students should be able to wear their school colours with pride, there are a number of new events included in the 2021 calendar. Cycling NZ will introduce NISS and SISS Cyclocross events. Janette Douglas, Cycling NZ Events Director says, “Cycling New Zealand Schools (CNZS) have partnered with host clubs to add a North and South Island CX Championship event to the calendar for the very first time in 2021. Through this partnership, we will be able to promote CX directly to schools and their riders, promoting a new cycling code utilising the strong youth membership base both clubs already have. CX offers a unique experience taking components from road and MTB so should be strongly supported from riders across all codes.”
For the first time on the School Sport NZ calendar, a NZSS Diving Championships will be taking place, hosted in Auckland.
Co-coordinating a calendar of this size to meet the needs of both schools and sport in terms of timing, eligibility, cost, venues and health and safety is a complex process and School Sport NZ wishes to thank all NSOs and event organisers for taking part in the sanctioning process over the past few months.
Following what has been a very challenging year for school sport, along with their NSO partners, School Sport NZ looks forward to being able to deliver a full programme of exciting opportunities to schools and students in 2021.
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