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Taranaki Community Rugby Trust Grants Hit $230k

Taranaki Community Rugby Trust Grants Hit $230k

Over $230,000 in grants have been distributed by the Taranaki Community Rugby Trust (TCRT) to support the development of junior and secondary school rugby programmes, the Charitable Trust announced today.

The Trust also announced a distribution of $50,000 for 2015 year, which they hope will provide a boost to rugby clubs in Taranaki by supporting junior teams. Some of the funds will also go towards supporting key rugby development initiatives designed to nurture primary and secondary school players. These include forming a Taranaki Primary Schools team who will take part in the annual Roller Mills Tournament; reinstating an U14 Taranaki Representative Team; and creating a new role for a Secondary School Rugby Development Officer.

Since its inception 7 years ago, TCRT grants have been given each and every rugby Club throughout Taranaki to help support their junior rugby programmes. This year a total of 135 junior rugby teams, from 17 local clubs, will benefit from a TCRT grant. The Trust says the milestone is just the start of their ongoing commitment to supporting the non-professional game by ensuring as many young people as possible are playing and enjoying rugby.

Reflecting on what’s been a highly successful beginning for the Trust, Chairman Michael Joyce said that they’re delighted with their achievements which he puts down mainly to its innovative approach, dedicated team and support from sponsors, partners and local communities.

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“We appear to have the formula just right and it’s paying off for community rugby and its players. And it’s only going to improve,” says Joyce.

“Our leased dairy farm in South Taranaki contributes about $50,000 each year and is going from strength to strength. As a charitable entity, all profits go directly to supporting community rugby. This is an innovative approach to raising money that we’re very proud of.”

Joyce added that they’re privileged to have received overwhelming support from the Taranaki community and even some well-known New Zealanders, like the Rt Hon, Prime Minister John Key who is the Trust’s Patron, and Sir Graham Henry who sponsored a cow to become a founding member of the TCRT.

Joyce says the success of the Trust is due to a number of dedicated sponsors and local farmers who provided or underwrote 120 cows to help get their lease dairy farm off the ground.

“The support we received from our founding members, farmers, sponsors and the entire Taranaki community since day one has been humbling,” says Joyce.

“And it hasn’t stopped there. We receive a lot of ongoing help from volunteers and regular donations of products and services which have helped us achieve this milestone.”

Joyce believes the one of the reasons for the ongoing support is due to rugby being a linchpin of community life. He says that for many places in Taranaki, the rugby club is a focal point of the township and without it community spirit would suffer.

“This means that we’re all working towards a common goal which goes beyond our vision to have more kids playing rugby. It also has a wider social impact on Taranaki communities,” says Joyce.

“We have a goal to increase distributions to the value of $100,000 each year to clubs, junior rugby teams and schools throughout the region, a target which we hope we’ll reach over the next 5 years,” says Joyce.

Joyce also credits the Trust’s success to having a dedicated team of volunteers, like the Trust Board, who have worked tirelessly to get the farm off the ground.

“A lot of people put a great deal of hard work into making the Trust a success, notably the forward-thinking of Ray Barron, Peter Crawford and Mark Robinson (former CEO of TRFU),” says Joyce. “The TCRT is vital to the ongoing success of rugby in our province and by returning funds into the community, many more generations of Taranaki children can reap the benefits of playing rugby.”

While a low pay out means the farming landscape will be tough in the near future, the TCRT is in a strong financial position and expects to make a similar distribution next year.

Created in 2008, the TCRT was set up to cater for the non-professional rugby to ensure that player development at grassroots level continued to provide valuable talent for Taranaki Rugby in the professional era. The TCRT believes that no matter what a young person’s background, being involved in physical team sport can improve physical, mental and social well-being, health and fitness.

ENDS

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