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Rachin -The Kiwi wonderkid

hendrix

hendrix

Hall of Fame Member
In rural nz it's also relatively easy to get a semi-professional contract to play rugby, or at least a club role tied to a cushy job. Partly because of the way nzr likes to have potential players spread out around the regions to have more even competition, and partly because of how insane local rural businesses are about supporting their local club.

If you grow up in rural nz and don't play sport you are going to have a very tough time at high school.
 
Flem274*

Flem274*

123/5
I think the issue is not with the sports but with our lives in general. Once you're out of school or education you're more likely to be expected to work weekends and odd hours than was the case a few decades back. Say what you will about the "simpler times', at least you had personal space to be left the **** alone and the weekend was a lot more respected (obviously people worked, but it has increased since). Now with smartphones and the modern workplace, you're on call all the time and a lot of young people work weekends.

I don't think NZ and Australia place too much emphasis on sport, I think the West places too much emphasis on work and making other people money. You can see this manifest in more important areas, like the whining about lockdowns 1 week after they started last year.

Of course, this could be coming from a place of salt, given I'd like to play social sport but my timetable prevents it.
 
GotSpin

GotSpin

Hall of Fame Member
Team sport participation is declining world wide right?

I mean, it's no longer seen as the social bedrock of your weekend
 
S

social

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
hendrix said:
In rural nz it's also relatively easy to get a semi-professional contract to play rugby, or at least a club role tied to a cushy job. Partly because of the way nzr likes to have potential players spread out around the regions to have more even competition, and partly because of how insane local rural businesses are about supporting their local club.

If you grow up in rural nz and don't play sport you are going to have a very tough time at high school.
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Dude please

You have to be seriously good at a game to be paid
 
hendrix

hendrix

Hall of Fame Member
social said:
Dude please

You have to be seriously good at a game to be paid
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I think in NZ, particularly rural NZ, there is quite a bit of mobility between amateur and professional and semi professional levels.

It helps that grass roots coaching is strong
 
S

SteveNZ

Cricketer Of The Year
hendrix said:
I think in NZ, particularly rural NZ, there is quite a bit of mobility between amateur and professional and semi professional levels.

It helps that grass roots coaching is strong
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Yep. There are plenty of club rugby players who get paid. Pretty bog average ones, too. There's always money in rural clubs (generally farm money) to either poach or keep players, and the fervour that these people have for their rugby club ensures they see value in doing it.
 
Flem274*

Flem274*

123/5
Club rugby is semi-pro in all but name, and that's a good thing. NPC only players need both something to keep fit in and a reason to stay in the game, and fringe players need to be kept on track instead of lured into the real world. There are also other avenues open to club players such as 7s and overseas contracts, because other countries know the gap between club and professional in NZ is relatively small.

It's a really good thing for the sport and one of the major yet quiet reasons NZ is able to keep the cashed up northern scum down under their heel 95% of the time. Cricket could learn a lot from rugby.
 
thierry henry

thierry henry

International Coach
hendrix said:
Fewer people going/planning to go into a career as a professional sportsperson is probably a good thing, overall.

Not sure how much that has to do with amateur participation.

But in general australian and nz culture has placed way too much emphasis on sport.
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Maybe, but one thing I love about NZ culture (which I think we are all saying is fading away) is the ability to play completely non-professional, inconsequential but competitive sport even though you suck.

My American ex-GF was so confused by my playing cricket because I think she struggled to conceptualise someone playing in an organised sports league for fun in their 30s, completely disconnected from any aspirations or even any ability. Replacing cricket with the lads with ‘going to the gym’ makes me want to jump off the nearest tall building, and I say that as someone who openly prays for rain every Saturday.
 
honestbharani

honestbharani

Whatever it takes!!!
thierry henry said:
Maybe, but one thing I love about NZ culture (which I think we are all saying is fading away) is the ability to play completely non-professional, inconsequential but competitive sport even though you suck.

My American ex-GF was so confused by my playing cricket because I think she struggled to conceptualise someone playing in an organised sports league for fun in their 30s, completely disconnected from any aspirations or even any ability. Replacing cricket with the lads with ‘going to the gym’ makes me want to jump off the nearest tall building, and I say that as someone who openly prays for rain every Saturday.
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Is there a lack of grounds or parks to play in, in NZ, due to urbanization or whatever? This is a problem in India. The kids definitely wanna play but there are lesser and lesser spaces to play sports in.
 
R

RossTaylorsBox

Cricket Web: All-Time Legend
Dunno if it's changed, but almost all the grounds I played on were also used for rugby in the winter so there was never really a lack of facilities for that.
 
thierry henry

thierry henry

International Coach
honestbharani said:
Is there a lack of grounds or parks to play in, in NZ, due to urbanization or whatever? This is a problem in India. The kids definitely wanna play but there are lesser and lesser spaces to play sports in.
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I’m sure it’s not comparable to India at all, although perhaps not quite the green paradise you might think. The population in NZ is still relatively highly concentrated in a few small areas, there would definitely be areas in Auckland where access to cricket facilities would be sub-optimal.

The more rural CWers might bash me for saying this but in my observation small town and country NZ is comparatively luxurious in terms of per-capita facilities.
 
F

Fuller Pilch

Hall of Fame Member
honestbharani said:
Is there a lack of grounds or parks to play in, in NZ, due to urbanization or whatever? This is a problem in India. The kids definitely wanna play but there are lesser and lesser spaces to play sports in.
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No, there are heaps of grounds and parks. Also most schools are open at weekends so it is easy to play there (or find a cricket net).
 
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