Sport grants: Gifted athletes gain grants

Ellie Eastwood has also received a grant in the recent round of funding.

Fourteen Northland athletes from 10 sporting codes have been awarded Kauri Club grants in the Northland Regional Sports Organisation's latest round of funding for talented, young up-and-coming sportspeople.

Applications are assessed by the Northland Sports Talent Development panel made up of representatives from the Far North, Kaipara and Whangarei Districts and Sport Northland.

Northland Sports Talent Development Panel member Angeline Waetford said "it is a privilege and a delight to sit on this panel and assess the athletes every six months".

Recent Kauri Club grant recipient Euan Sapwell.

"The sporting prowess and talent we have here in Northland is nothing short of amazing and to be able to assist the athletes in their sporting goals is great. Northland continues to produce world class athletes and we are very proud to be a part of their success".

The funding will mainly assist the athletes to cover some of the many expenses incurred in travelling to events outside the region. Several of the athletes in this round have been selected to represent New Zealand in their particular sport and will be attending tournaments overseas.

The Kauri Club also allocated a grant of $500 to both the ASB Northland Secondary Schools Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year winners, who will be announced at the ASB Northland Secondary Schools Sports Awards tomorrow, October 29. A further $1000 has been set aside for the Garry Frew Memorial Junior Sportsperson of the Year which will be awarded at the Konica Minolta Northland Sports Awards on Friday, December 4.

These new grants will make a total of $194,450 being allocated to talented Northland Sportspeople since the Kauri Club was formed in 2000 from funding received from the family of the late Garry Frew and the Brian Maunsell Memorial Trust fund.

The next round of Kauri Club grants will be made in April 2016, where the Northland Sports Talent Development panel will also assess applications for the 2016 intake of Educare Northland Sports Talent Hub sportspeople.