Changing Sport for the Better
Despite some initial pushback, Hockey Northland has found that changing the structure of their youth representative teams has resulted in increased participation and enjoyment in the sport. Following the guidance of Sport New Zealand's Balance is Better philosophy, Hockey Northland no longer follows a traditional selection process to identify their youth representative teams. Instead, all participants who wish to represent Taniwha Hockey in the U13 and U16 teams are given the opportunity to go away to the tournaments held at North Harbour Hockey Stadium, with a large focus on development.
The U16 tournament is a 3-day tournament, against teams from Waikato, North Harbour, Auckland, Counties Manukau, Thames Valley, Tauranga, and Bay of Plenty. This tournament acts as a stepping-stone experience, preparing players for the U18 level. Hockey Northland also reflects how the shift from U15 to U16 has allowed this group – at an age where many teenagers drop out of sport – to stay engaged for a year longer, rather than jumping straight to the U18 level. In the 11-aisde division, Northland Hockey selects the Grant Mcleod Trophy team, and the remaining players choose whether they would like to play in an 11-aside team or play 5-aside instead. In 2023, the Taniwha were represented by 100 Northlanders, with four 11-aside teams and seven 5-aside teams. If you haven't heard of it yet, 5-aside hockey is a fast-paced modification of the game which is quickly gaining popularity!
The U13 tournament is a 1-day festival, where all participants play in 7-aside mixed-ability teams. Last year, they faced teams from North Harbour, Auckland, Counties Manukau, and the Bay of Islands – who played as their own team! There is no leaderboard or overall winner, and opportunities for skill development and coach/referee education are available during the event. The festival is competitive, and the participants have a great time; with over 100 players attending as representatives of the Taniwha in 2023. Hockey Northland strives to keep fees as low as possible, especially for tamariki and rangatahi. However, with increased levels of participation, more supervisors, coaches, and referees are needed to ensure every young person has a safe, fun, and quality experience, which can result in additional costs.
In a post-tournament survey of the 2023 U13 players, themes displayed their love for hockey, pride in representing Northland, and gratitude for the experience; showing the ripple effect of giving all young people the chance to participate. Slowly but surely, the positivity emanating from initiatives like this is changing the mindsets of sport leaders, coaches, administrators, parents, and caregivers involved in youth sport for the better.
Here at Sport Northland, we support Regional Sports Organisations to provide quality opportunities and experiences because we know that being active contributes positively to overall wellbeing – and by starting young and having fun, our tamariki and rangatahi are more likely to develop a life-long love of physical activity.
Article written by Ellie Eastwood, Sport Northland's Regional System Connector
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