Waikato Herald
  • Waikato Herald home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
  • Lifestyle
  • Lotto results

Locations

  • Hamilton
  • Coromandel & Hauraki
  • Matamata & Piako
  • Cambridge
  • Te Awamutu
  • Tokoroa & South Waikato
  • Taupō & Tūrangi

Weather

  • Thames
  • Hamilton
  • Tokoroa
  • Taumarunui
  • Taupō

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Waikato News

Community sports to resume in the Waikato after increase on gatherings

Tom Rowland
By Tom Rowland
Hamilton News·
25 May, 2020 10:58 PM2 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

Community sports such as rugby will be able to resume from Friday. Photo / Arthur Uden

Community sports such as rugby will be able to resume from Friday. Photo / Arthur Uden

Community sports are set to resume in the Waikato with the Government loosening its restrictions on gatherings that will allow popular sports codes such as rugby, football and netball to resume their seasons.

On Monday, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern announced that the gathering limit would be lifted from 10 to 100 at midday on Friday, allowing sports teams to return to full training and break away from the groups of 10s they have been training in previously at level 2.

"Cabinet has decided we can now increase the size of all gatherings to 100 from 12 noon this Friday, May 29," Ardern said.

"The move to 100 allows community sport to operate more easily and I understand sporting codes have been working on operational guidance with Sport New Zealand," Ardern said.

Last week, some of the Waikato's top football teams returned to training in multiple groups of 10, but with new figure they will be looking to step up their post Covid-19 pre-season and prepare for whatever league awaits them in June.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Melville United coach Sam Wilkinson said there has been a renewed buzz around sport after much of the country has missed out on playing for the past two months.

"It's been a frustrating time for everyone but it's fantastic that there's light at the end of the tunnel now.

"One positive to come out of the whole Covid-19 situation is that it has made us all appreciate football even more. There seems to be a really genuine buzz around the game at the moment," Wilkinson said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"It's hugely important, not just for people's physical wellbeing but also for their mental well being. Many people, young and old rely on sport for social interaction.

"We've all been starved of that contact for six weeks so getting school and club sport back is going to bring a lot of happiness back into people's lives."

Clubs across all sporting codes are still expected to follow the social distancing measures put in place by Government, while also have contract tracing at all their facilities.

Discover more

Sport|rugby

Former All Blacks star makes shock club rugby return

09 Jul 05:00 AM
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Sport

Sport

All Blacks v France third test: All you need to know

Sport

Forsman looking to cap record season as he looks forward to the next one

Sport

'Psychologically' tough: Nyika's journey to reclaim boxing glory


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

All Blacks v France third test: All you need to know
Sport

All Blacks v France third test: All you need to know

All you need to know as Scott Robertson’s side take on France in Hamilton.

15 Jul 08:03 PM
Forsman looking to cap record season as he looks forward to the next one
Sport

Forsman looking to cap record season as he looks forward to the next one

15 Jul 05:00 PM
'Psychologically' tough: Nyika's journey to reclaim boxing glory
Sport

'Psychologically' tough: Nyika's journey to reclaim boxing glory

15 Jul 03:43 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Waikato Herald e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Waikato Herald
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP