'We might not recover' - grassroots sporting clubs worried over survival during Covid-19

May 2, 2020

Clubs are struggling with a lack of business during lockdown. (Source: Other)

Community sports organisations across the country are facing "the fight of their lives," as they grapple with the effects of the Covid-19 shutdown.

While local parks would usually be the scene of sport on a given Saturday morning, the ongoing Covid-19 shut down has seen many grassroots organisations struggling.

Wellington's Marist St Pats Rugby Club are one of those, having to cancel their 50th jubilee celebrations, while their season on the field also remains in limbo.

"We've never been down this track before...it's very hard and challenging," club president Ken Ah Kuoi tells 1 NEWS.

"It's a very sad thing for the club, a lot of preparation went in."

For contact sport in particular, there's no end in sight just yet, with no guarantee that restrictions will be eased at Alert Level 2. The uncertainty putting nearly all codes under pressure.

"If we don't have hockey at all this winter, it's a real issue for our organisation moving forward - something we might not recover from for a long time," Wellington Hockey CEO Lisa Jones says.

"Everyone's toolkit is looking a bit low, but it's understanding how do we work together as a system to make sure nobody falls off," adds Central Netball's CEO Fran Scholey.

Summer sports also feeling the strain too, despite having time on their side. They're also facing an uncertain future with worries about where funds will come from.

"Ideally [we] don't want to pass the burden onto our own members," Upper Hutt Cricket Club's Dan Henderson says.

"The sooner Covid disappears, the sooner we get back to business as usual."

Some councils are being asked to reduce the rent for sports clubs, but that may not be enough.

Clubs that have given so much to their communities over the years are now in desperate need of their own support.

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