The New Zealand Age Group Championship (NAGS) in Auckland this month will have spectacular livestreaming, especially during the finals. Photo/Photosport
The New Zealand Age Group Championship (NAGS) in Auckland this month will have spectacular livestreaming, especially during the finals. Photo/Photosport
The National Age Group Championship will be livestreamed for free viewing from the Sir Owen G Glen National Aquatic Centre in Auckland this month.
Swim New Zealand chief executive Steve Johns said that was always on its agenda, just as it had done last year.
"We've invested more than enough to say we'll have a very high standard, particularly the final sessions which will be of a very, very high standard with split times, graphics and all those sorts of things," said Johns amid a national outcry from some parents on how quickly spectator tickets were snapped up.
Johns said a few years ago they struggled to entice people to watch age-group events and competitor numbers were "right down".
"Now we have a really healthy condition with swimming numbers, which is a great situation for the sport to be in," he said.
However, Johns agreed they had to revisit the way the NAGS would be staged in the future.
Options Swimming NZ are considering include raising the qualifying standard times of swimmers to a manageable cull, grouping them into multiples of respective age groups and genders over different times as well as other venues that may come into play to ease the pressure on the centre.
"It's not really something we want to do [raise qualifying times] because we want as many people as possible swimming at the national age-group meetings so we're absolutely aware of the issues because the events are growing so quickly."
He said every option had its share of issues, such as parents who would face the dilemma of a son and daughter and associated costs at different venues.
"There are solutions but not everyone will like them so we've got to keep thinking about what's good for the swimmers and ensuring people are coming to a quality meet and their ability to start their career on the right path so that's in the forefront of our minds."
Johns said facilities in the country simply weren't big enough to cope with the growth.
He clarified there were two 50m pools at the centre but one was for training only with no seating.
To find a balance between the number of fans at a venue and swimmers in a pool was delicate.
"There's a fine balance between getting kids swimming, which is what we're about, and providing opportunities for spectators to come in to watch."
Christchurch was out as a venue after the quake, Wellington offered 100 fan tickets a day last year and, hopefully, the Auckland centre would offer up to 300 a day.
Swimming New Zealand chief executive Steve Johns. Photo/Simon Watts, www.bwmedia.co.nz
Increasing the number of seats at the Auckland centre was an option but the cost also a factor.
"We would love to have a facility that has [2500] seats because it would be ideal but, unfortunately, there aren't any in New Zealand."
Johns said returned tickets daily would be resold to fans, something that was done religiously at the NAGS and other champs.
"People sort of line up and wait as other people come out," he said, revealing they would be charged $5 a ticket.
He sympathised with parents who incurred accommodation and travel expenses six months before the event but said it was difficult to assess demand for tickets until entries closed and this year the demand was higher.
Johns didn't see an issue with announcing the sale of tickets on Facebook or, for that matter, several days before the entries had closed.
"I think it's pretty normal and that's what happens in the sporting world," he said, reiterating the key issue was not having the luxury of housing up to 250 to 300 fans at a big enough venue.
Swimming NZ tended to put such notices on its website for the benefit of all the regions but Johns said a lion's share of their followers communicated via Facebook page.
