Good Sorts in Sports: Dannevirke’s Aotea sports club gets big boost

Aotea Sports Club celebrate a $5000 gift in Cadbury's Good Sorts In Sports at Rugby Park on May 6 (from left): Irene Van Dyk, Jearrad Stephenson, Tina and Ken Todd, other Aotea supporters and TV1 presenter Jordan Oppert.

Aotea Sports Club has been hiding a secret.

They had to wait in silence for this month’s big reveal on TV1′s Good Sorts in Sports, sponsored by Cadbury.

It was more than a month ago when TV1 cameras and presenter Jordan Oppert rolled into Dannevirke to capture the moment as Aotea Sports Club received $5000 from Cadbury to reward significant volunteers doing good work in the community.

Selected to receive the honour were Aotea’s Jearrad Stephenson, representing rugby, and Tina Todd, representing netball - and on hand to present the cheque was netball great Irene Van Dyk.

Surprised by the donation just before his team Aotea were about to play a Hawke’s Bay Premier division rugby match at Rugby Park, Jearrad said the money would go a long way to help the club support young people both in sport and in the community.

He said family connections are important in the club and often young people who leave school have nowhere to go - and if they play sport, the club can help look after them outside of sport as well.

Up at the netball courts Irene was impressed with the Aotea netball players, saying she could see the “happiness in the players’ faces as they played”.

She said volunteers like Tina and Jearrad were “the heart and soul of every community sport”.

Four other clubs, selected from many nominations, also received $5000 from Cadbury - Waipā Hockey, Rolleston Rugby League, the Mataura Softball Club and the Kaitāia Rugby Club.