While winter sport players dig out rugby and football boots, netball kits and hockey sticks, a volunteer army prepares to join them. Coaches, referees and umpires of school and club teams are nearly always unpaid and often under-appreciated.48 Hours reporter Dawn Picken spoke with volunteers whose love for sport and its players keeps them in the game.
Football:
ROTORUA'S BRENDAN SQUIBB says he fell into coaching five or six years ago. His son, Sean, had started playing Saturday football and the team needed a leader.
"I was thinking, I'm going to be there, anyway, so it's more fun to be involved than sitting on the side linewatching."
Brendan kept going, encouraged by support from WaiBOP Football and what he saw on the field.
The coolest thing about coaching is you get to see kids shine and give their all to something they really love doing. I can't think of too many other things where you see kids go hard at something they really love.
WaiBOP Football counts more than 1100 junior coaches and volunteers (for players aged 5-12) spread throughout Bay of Plenty and the Waikato. Development Officer Barry Gardiner says clubs often struggle to find volunteers. He says the organisation refers to coaches of five to eight year olds as team leaders, for whom skills and drills are pre-planned.
"It's not like, here's your team...we have it all there for them."
WaiBOP offers a free introductory coaching class and support throughout the season, which Gardiner says improves the quality of training and enjoyment for everyone.
John Paul College football player Liam Petersen, 12, with coach Brendan Squibb. Photo/Ben Fraser
Rugby:
A WHITE-HAIRED man in a white jersey runs the side lines during a rugby game last Saturday between Arataki and Tauranga. Play has stopped briefly, and he holds up a yellow flag. Now in his 50th year as an official, Sid Longley is the Bay of Plenty's longest-serving referee.
The 73-year-old volunteers with Bay of Plenty Rugby Union, travelling from Katikati to Opotiki to Rotorua, reffing up to three games per week, nearly year round.
"I only do under 15s. I can't keep up with the older ones. They're too fast now."
Sid and the other 100-plus local rugby referees (with BOP Rugby Union) volunteer to bring order to the field, to promote fairness, safety and good sportsmanship. Refs must not only understand game rules, but nuances, too, making quick decisions that aren't always black and white.
"The game's faster than it used to be," says Sid. "Probably the biggest change is the attitude of people, the supporters on the side line. Once upon a time you didn't have that."
Sid says he knows how to stop spectators from getting out of hand.
"If I have a problem with someone I say, 'Here's the whistle, show me how to do it.'
73-year-old Sid Longley is the Bay of Plenty's longest-serving rugby referee. He's into his 50th year with the whistle. PHOTO/ANDREW WARNER
There's not too much trouble after that. It's good fun. I love it - I couldn't wish anything better on anybody."
The head referee for this game agrees. At age 16, George Haswell is one of the Bay's youngest rugby officials. George started at age 12, though he's never played the game himself. He was the youngest top-ranked official at last year's Touch World Cup in Sydney and hopes someday to ref the Rugby League World Cup.
The Year 12 student says regardless of where he travels, he wants to carry on . . . and on . . . and on . . . like Sid.
George Haswell, 16, started refereeing rugby at 12. He has already officiated at international level
games and hopes to work at the World Cup. PHOTO/ANDREW WARNER
"He's a good role model to have around. Rugby's something you can take everywhere. No matter where you go, everyone will need refereeing."
George says he's learning from experience and allows criticisms to go "in one ear and out the other". BOP Rugby Union referee manager Pat Rae says he's constantly seeking volunteers of all ages to officiate games. The organisation provides free training and even sportswear. Pat says former representative players can fast-track into the system as officials.
"We seem to have an obstacle of convincing players there's another pathway into the game that doesn't involve coaching. There is another option for them. Refereeing is an option."
Pat says he could use another 15 to 20 referees.
The sport needs coaches, too. BOP Rugby Union coach development manager Rodney Gibbs says the organisation counts about 650 coaches spread through club, school and representative teams.
"We're always looking for more. It's a little bit about growth and retention, because we lose a fairly high percentage per year."
Coaches also get free training and can expect to spend five to six hours per week volunteering.
Hockey:
AMANDA MEYS is fresh off the hockey pitch, a sheen of sweat on her forehead. The 28-year-old played provincial representative hockey before giving it up at age 21 due to a heart condition. On a Sunday morning, she's coaching an early practice session in Mount Maunganui.
She was assistant coach last year for Tauranga under-18 girls and has taken on the head coaching role this year.
"I love giving back to the sport that gave me so much and I always felt out of sorts when I couldn't play. I enjoy seeing teenagers playing sport and I enjoy seeing them loving hockey as much as I do."
As a physiotherapist, Amanda stresses injury prevention. As a coach, she faces side line cynics head on.
Former provincial hockey player Amanda Meys PHOTO/GEORGE NOVAK
"I've never had an issue approaching them about it. Often they're just misinformed. ...but it's very minimal. Most people are very thankful."
Gene Coates-Reid has just finished a series of drills with the girls. The 57-year-old led the team last year and is happy to stay on as skills trainer. He has coached for about 40 years after playing the game himself.
"The reason I got involved in coaching is somebody put some time into me. I came from India; I didn't have any money or transport or anything, my parents didn't. So there's one guy who always picked me up, always dropped me off at home so I felt I owed it back to him for doing that for me."
Gene says he enjoys helping young people become skilled, confident hockey players.
"Just seeing them here is the payment and seeing some of the results. A lot of these girls will become rep players, Midlands players, and some of these girls will go on to play for New Zealand."
AS AUTUMN turns to winter, you'll find Charleen Hicks courtside at Netball Rotorua. At age 61, Charleen has been coaching for 40 years. She started with primary school players and moved on to lead representative teams after her daughter made a rep team. She enjoys working with teenagers and this year will take on an under-19 rep team whose players are spread throughout the Waikato and Bay of Plenty.
"I did it because of the passion I have for netball. I just love seeing the girls that have the skills and passion inside themselves wanting more and more out of netball."
Netball Rotorua counts 186 volunteer coaches and 196 umpires. She stopped playing netball due to injury. She takes annual leave to travel to nationals and has worked her way up to performance level coaching workshops.
She also serves as president of Waikite Netball and as an executive member of Netball Rotorua.
"It's so encouraging for myself as a coach to see I may have touched on something...to see them go on to further themselves. I love it because it's my life."
Value of volunteers: - Sport Bay of Plenty reports 23 per cent of all adults in the Bay volunteer for sport and recreation, totalling nearly 48,000 people. - Statistics from a recently-published report show volunteers contributed 2.6 million hours in 2007/08. -The estimated market value of these volunteered services was $37 million, according to Sport Bay of Plenty's Simon Neate. - Community Sport Team Leader David Mortimore says the BayTrust CoachForce programme connects the sporting community with more than 10,000 coach development opportunities each year across the Bay of Plenty. "Those who officiate in sport as referees/umpires also play a vital role in both amateur and professional sport...as without them there's no game."
More online: - waibopfootball.co.nz - mynetball.co.nz - boprugby.co.nz - rotoruahockey.co.nz
