New Zealand's traditional sporting culture is facing challenges, with more grassroots clubs in financial hardship and struggling to find volunteers.
The NZ Amateur Sports Association reported overall membership has grown beyond pre-Covid levels, but twice as many clubs (9%) are losing money.
The average number of club volunteers, who give up their time for at least three hours a month, has gone from 31 to 18 over the past five years. Athletics, football and rugby union are among those affected, while netball and cricket are among those to see an increase.
Exposed in a recent nationwide survey, the findings have the potential to undermine our international sporting success, as well as the Kiwi social fabric, especially in communities that revolve around their local clubs, chairman Gordon Noble-Campbell told Breakfast.
"The issue arising from the survey is that clubs are really the basis for growing all our future teams in black or competitors on the international stage. If we don't have a healthy and viable club framework, there is a real risk for the future.
Membership is increasing, but money and volunteers are scarce. (Source: Breakfast)
"Volunteers are the coaches and the people who put the pads on the goalposts on a Saturday morning, but they're also the administrators responsible for the governance of clubs.
"One of the changes in recent times is the introduction of new legislation — the Incorporated Societies Act — which is placing more compliance burdens on volunteers.
"To be perfectly blunt, most people involved in clubs are not really interested in undertaking those really important tasks. They are very passionate about the sport, but they don't often have the skills, competence or knowledge necessarily to undertake those other roles."
The obligations relate to issues such as financial reporting, managing conflicts of interest and dispute resolution procedures.
The survey found around a half of clubs believed the Incorporated Societies Act 2022 was fit for purpose, with one-third having re-registered a new Constitution as required by the Act. Most signalled an intention to re-register.
Noble-Campbell warns that clubs serve a purpose beyond the sports they serve, providing a social hub for communities.
"If they are not there, there would be a huge gap in terms of New Zealand society generally," he said. "Everybody knows it's pretty tough economic times and for many families to be able to afford to enrol their children in sport through clubs is becoming very, very difficult indeed."
Financial hardship is forcing some clubs to cut corners, as they try to maintain their service to members. Noble-Campbell references one Wellington club that has stopped insuring its clubrooms due to escalating premiums.
"The risk is, if something ever happened to the facility, the land would be there, but the facilities that deliver sport to the community won't necessarily be there," he said. "It affects all ends of the sporting spectrum and you can understand why many club committees are really worried about what the future might hold."
Noble-Campbell suggests the Government may need to ensure the regulations relating to clubs are "fit for purpose".
"They need to be appropriate-sized for people who are there for the love of the game," he said. "At the present point in time, what is being asked of those volunteers is quite complex.
"We've been speaking to Government for some months now to try to minimise the impacts of that, so it becomes easier for people to stay in those governance roles."
He also advocates national sport organisations, often focused on high performance success, need to be just as aware of the struggles at grassroots.
"They need to be sure they're allocating the resources they have at their disposal — whether it be money or people or equipment — are being placed in the areas it's needed the most."
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