OPINION

Sport Northland is calling for applications from talented young Northland sportspeople to receive funding scholarships.

The scholarships are funded through the Kauri Club fund, which was established way back in the year 2000 by Sport Northland, after a donation to the Trust by the family of the late Garry Frew, the legendary sports editor of the Northern Advocate.

The annual objective is to support talented young sports people in Northland and give them every encouragement to advance their sporting careers and develop as an athlete and as a person.

Through the generous support of Alan and Jackie Lints, who have this year partnered with the Kauri Club to increase the size of the available fund, Sport Northland is now offering annual scholarships over a 12-month period up to the value of $2,000 for athletes aged between 16 and 20 years old.

In following the ‘Balance is Better’ principles of athlete development, the scholarships aim to assist athletes to further their development as an athlete.

The scholarship money is to be primarily utilised to invest back into their learning and development with the aim of the athlete growing and applying their learning to their sport and throughout their life.

Development support could be, for example, a physical trainer (gym/movement), additional coaching support, nutritional support or mental/athlete life support.

Each athlete will also be provided support by the Athlete Support Advisor.

Sport Northland is only able to achieve this level of funding through the support of passionate Northlanders like Alan and Jackie, through profits from Club Northland events (a joint initiative of Alzheimers Northland and Sport Northland) as well as through the annual income/yield from the $260,000 of Sport Northland capital that is invested through the Northland Community Foundation for this purpose.

A number of years ago Sport Northland partnered up with the Northland Community Foundation to establish the Northland Sports Fund (and under the umbrella of this fund the Kauri Club Fund), with the aim of creating a lasting legacy for sport across the region.

The Northland Community Foundation is one of 14 community foundations throughout NZ and has an aim of providing a simple, effective, long-lasting way for individuals, families and organisations to leave legacies or create funds to support local causes, and to ensure these gifts will achieve maximum and enduring benefits for our community.

The Northland Community Foundation is unique in that it is the only organisation that seeks legacies and gifts from throughout the Northland region, invests those gifts in perpetuity through a partnership with Craigs Investments, and then distributes the income back into our community.

The more we can grow the $260,000 that already exists in the Kauri Club Fund, the more funding will be available to grant to our promising Northland athletes. We already have three funding bequests (promises) dedicated to the Kauri Club – when these bequests are realised, the funds will be added to the capital sum and more money will be distributed annually back to our athletes.

Maybe your own children or grandchildren have achieved in sport – or maybe they are aspiring to in the future. Either way you have a unique opportunity to support them and other young Northland athletes now and in the future.

This can be in the form of a bequest (a promise of future money) or alternatively through ‘living giving’ (one-off lump sum gifts or through payroll giving).

To find out more about contributing to the Northland Sports Fund visit their website www.northlandcommunityfoundation.org.nz for more information.

The scholarship applications close on October 9. To find out more visit https://www.sportnorthland.co.nz/Helping-Sport-Happen-Whakatinana-Hkinakina/Kauri-Club-1.