Primary Sport

Manukau is a very young city with 26% of its population under 15 years of age. Many of these young people live in socio-economically deprived areas, attend low decile schools and many do not get the opportunity to participate in sport and physical recreation.

Despite this, Manukau has produced internationally-acclaimed sports-stars like Valerie Vili, Jonah Lomu, Ruben Wiki, Scott Dixon and Barbara Kendall.

Primary Sport is an initiative that helps to provide the environment that can nurture similar talent. It increases the opportunity for year 5 and 6 school children (aged between 9 and 11) in Manukau to participate in sport and physical recreation so that they can develop their skill and interest.

The programme was launched in Papatoetoe and Otara in September 2009 involving approximately 2400 children and will be extended into other areas of Manukau in 2010.

Primary Sport:

Provides opportunities for primary school children to be involved
in sport and physical recreation by:

• Building after school sports programmes to complement in school activities;

• Providing in-school opportunities with coaching support and skills training for teachers;

• Providing assistance to schools to encourage and facilitate inter- school sport competition;

• Building partnerships with providers working in the community who meet identified sporting needs of the primary cluster

Links young people to sports clubs by:

• Encouraging and building links between school sports programmes and sports clubs;

• Linking participants to local sports clubs

Identifies and develops future sports champions by:

• Linking individuals to coaching and Counties Manukau Club Pathways

• Acknowledging and identifying talent at inter-school sports tournaments.

Find out more

For further information on Primary Sport click here

Or contact:
Lincoln Jefferson
Counties Manukau Sport
Ph 09 269 0188
Mob 029 268 2338
LincolnJ@cmsport.co.nz