Northland's women's senior hockey team, which recently won silver at the national competition, featured a range of young players who were brought up through representative programmes. Photo / File
Northland's women's senior hockey team, which recently won silver at the national competition, featured a range of young players who were brought up through representative programmes. Photo / File
There's been enough debate on what kids want out of sport and it's a fairly simple one to break down.
The conversation refers to the recent move to ensure kids of today and tomorrow focus less on competition and more on enjoyment when they play their code of choice toaddress the startling declining rates of youth in sport.
Sport New Zealand's Active NZ data showed that at 12 to 14 years, 96 per cent had been active in the past seven days with the age group on average taking part for 12 hours per week. By the time they reach 18-24 years, only 73 per cent are active each week and the duration had more than halved to 5.5 hours.
Sport NZ chief executive Peter Miskimmin was in Northland on Thursday to explain the organisations new strategy for the next five years. Photo / Tania Whyte
Last month, it was announced New Zealand Cricket, NZ Football, Hockey NZ, Netball NZ and New Zealand Rugby have signed a statement of intent to make major changes to the way kids play sport so it was more inclusive and not just focused on the winners.
Broadly speaking, you have three camps which people assign themselves to whenever this issue is discussed.
First, you have the nay-sayers. The ones who only see red whenever the suggestion of less competition is brought up and they immediately accuse the supposed 'PC culture' which is apparently decimating our society.
Second, you have the yay-sayers who are ecstatic at the thought that their child might not get left behind and disheartened with sport.
Third, there are those who are wary of what this means and how it will be implemented. I'd like to think I'd put myself in this camp but if I had choose between yay or nay, I would be a yay-sayer.
Results are evident from the sports organisations which had already made moves in this new direction. At the beginning of the year, North Harbour Rugby Union became New Zealand's first provincial union to dissolve its junior representative programme for children under 14. The introduction of non-contact Rippa rugby for boys aged 8-13 had also resulted in a 22 per cent increase in junior club registrations.
Other codes have made similar changes but most are addressing the early specialisation of sports such as representative teams.
Sport NZ's chief executive Peter Miskimmin made the trip to Whangārei on Thursday to introduce the organisations new strategy for the next five years which emphasised the need for change for youth in sport.
While he encouraged other organisations to follow in the footsteps of the North Harbour Rugby Union in spirit, he said different organisations would employ different methods to address the decline.
The important thing will be not to totally decimate the aspect of competition, something the nay-sayers are convinced will happen. I think everyone is aware sport is fundamentally about competition and kids still need a chance progress up the levels of their code.
Northland's under-15 boys' hockey team and their success on the national stage is proof we need to consider our next move very carefully. Photo / John Stone
However, over the past week we have seen our under-15 Northland hockey boys and girls teams do extremely well on the national stage, the boys making the final and the girls playing off for third and fourth.
The impending changes to Northland's sporting landscape for youth should not inhibit the progression of these young prodigies otherwise we will only exacerbate the problem we already have with talented youngsters leaving the region because they have no ability to make it to the top in Northland.
Yes, sport needs to change because we want as many of our young people keeping fit and healthy. What we don't want to see is the life sucked out of sport along the way.
