One of the oldest sports clubs in Canterbury well known for its sense of tradition is leading the way, with a unique opportunity this month for club volunteers to understand why balance is truly better.
 
“‘Balance is Better’ is an evidence-based approach led by Sport New Zealand. The philosophy focuses on why young people play sport – to have fun, be challenged, develop and improve, be part of a team or group, and enjoy time with friends,” says Sport Canterbury Chief Executive, Julyan Falloon.
 
On Thursday 23 July, Christchurch Football’s Junior Club held a ‘Coaches and Managers Dinner’ to celebrate the contribution of volunteers to the organisation. The evening was a chance for the club to come together and reflect on their culture and the experiences they are providing for tamariki.
 
“We are trying give the coaches and managers a different way of thinking about rugby and sport in general. We are a very proud club, and one of the oldest clubs in the world, and we challenged ourselves as a committee to change our culture within our club, in terms of how we think about sport and how the kids think about sport. We don’t want to be known as an elitist club, we want everyone to come down and play. This is our first major step into exposing our coaching team and managers to a different way of thinking,” said Hunter Johnston, Junior Club President.
 
The committee enlisted the help of an expert panel of coaches, athletes and specialists affiliated with the club to help share the ‘Balance is Better’ philosophy through a question and answer session.
 
This panel included, All Blacks Assistant Coach Brad Mooar, Crusaders Assistant Coach Mark Jones, former Crusader and All Black Matt Todd, former Black Fern Captain Stephanie Te Ohaere-Fox and Head of Coach Education at Canterbury Rugby Jimmy Sinclair.
At the beginning of the evening, Anna Mowat from ‘Real Parents’ and the lead for Sparklers presented on the benefits of a ‘growth mindset’ vs a ‘fixed mindset,’ and Sport Canterbury’s Sport Development Advisor, Mike Peacock, explained the ‘Balance is Better’ philosophy to the group of 80 volunteer coaches.
 
Crusaders Assistant Coach, Mark Jones spoke highly of the ‘Balance is Better’ philosophy and the positive changes being instilled in the club.
 
“What I love about the ‘Balance is Better’ philosophy is that kids can go and enjoy themselves in a competitive environment, making sure that winning and losing is not the be all and end all. By doing that, you are going to engage the children at a different level, you are going to get them to turn up consistently and you’re going to keep the kids in sport for a far longer period of time.”

For more information on the ‘Balance is Better’ philosophy visit the Sport New Zealand website - https://balanceisbetter.org.nz/ 
 
Follow Sport Canterbury on Facebook for regular community sport updates - 

https://www.facebook.com/sportcanterburynz/ 
 

Article added: Monday 03 August 2020