Sportsville Dargaville proves its mettle

Sport and Recreation Minister and Grant Robertson and Kauri Coast Recreational Society chairman Chris Biddles shake hands. Photo / Tania Whyte

The best way to measure the success of a new sports facility is to try it out —which was par for the course when the $2.3 million Sportsville Dargaville complex was officially opened on Saturday.

Those attending the opening included hundreds of young and older local sports fans, officials, Sport Northland board members, sporting celebrities and three central Government politicians, not least the Minister for Sport and Recreation, Grant Robertson, who has been a staunch supporter of the facility since he came into his ministerial role.

Chris Biddles, chairman of the overseeing Kauri Coast Recreational Society (KCRS), said that while the speeches and thank yous were about the facility itself, it was not lost on anyone present that in the background was a cheerful soundtrack of children playing on the new courts and fields.

''That made it very special. It was exactly what the whole thing was about, kids just getting stuck in and having fun.

''But it was all just overwhelmingly warm-spirited, it was an outstanding event.''

Also special, Biddles said, was a presentation by Robertson of a New Zealand blazer, complete with regalia, from this year's Commonwealth Games. That blazer will take pride of place on the Sportsville wall.

After the congratulations and pleasantries, teams of sports celebrities and local movers and shakers moved and shook their way through games of netball and tennis, some of which proved a spirited mix of competitive sporting prowess and a grand disrespect for rules.

The first to draw blood on the netball court was Kaipara mayor Jason Smith, and he did it three times — his own, after taking a few hard tumbles, Biddles said.

''Then Willow-Jean [Prime] kept elbowing me in the belly, and Matt King just bear-hugged everyone who went after the ball.

''It was fun. And Dion and Dunno, well they played a long, hard tennis game.''

That was a doubles game between [former Black Cap] Dion Nash and [former All Black] Ian Dunn, playing the president of Dargaville Tennis, Pete Bond, and former rep player Alistair Nauman.

Biddles said keeping the event local and showing local hospitality, sponsor Silver Fern Farms fed everyone steak burgers on the house and supplied thank you packages to the VIPs.

The facility, between Memorial Park and the Northern Wairoa Rugby Club, contains tennis and netball courts, fields for football, rugby and rugby league, and eventually a 60s-up petanque court. It also has changing rooms, public toilets, storage facilities for users, a canteen/coffee outlet and a "muster" room.