2010 START YOUR ENGINES! WELCOME BACK — As New Zealand Rugby League was first constituted back in April 1910, this year marks the 100th anniversary of national administration in this country. With a big year in store and much still to do, it’s time to get things started with our first Newsletter of the year... What’s In This Issue Pages 2 - 3: Update from CEO Jim Doyle PageS 4 -5: Football Department Update Page 6: Community Programmes Update Page 7: Community Notice Board Pages 8: 2009 International Masters Page 9: Warriors in Wellington—’Vikings Big Day Out’ Page 10: IRD Tips—Helping your club donors get tax rebates 100 1 Update from NZRL CEO Jim Doyle - January 2010 I hope you all had a relaxing festive season and are ready for what shapes as an exciting year of Rugby League. I have returned refreshed and keen to complete the reform we started in 2009 at both national and regional level. We recently completed the restructuring of the national staff with confirmation that Kiwi icon Ruben Wiki has been appointed to the High Performance Manager position vacated by Tony Kemp following his appointment as Football Manager. In early February the Football department also welcomed Daniel Floyd who started his tenure as our new Coaching & Development Manager. Daniel’s arrival follows the departure of Dennis Ward, who elected to return to Australia at the end of his three year contract. The NZRL would like to acknowledge Dennis for his contribution to the game in this country and wishes him and wife Cheryl, all the very best for their return home. One legend arrives, as another departs. Ruben Wiki (above) signs on as NZRL’s new High Performance Manager while Dennis Ward heads home to Australia after three years. Ward a former Kangaroo, is pictured (right) in his days as the Manly- Warringah half back. The Clive Churchill Medal winner as man of the match in the Manly’s 1972 grand final win, he also had stints with Canterbury-Bankstown and Widnes. The new football team is rounded out by two seasoned campaigners in Competitions Commissioner Kevin Bailey and National Referees Coordinator Ian Macintosh. The football department in conjunction with Community Programmes Manager Dain Guttenbeil, have some exciting initiatives planned for the coming season with some of these outlined later in this newsletter. Two other key appointments arriving in February will be Marketing & Sponsorship Manager Trina Tamati and Communications Officer Phillipa Ivory. As you may have seen in a previous release, both bring exceptional skills, experience and strong links to the game. These roles will play a significant part improving our communications with stakeholders so expect to see more positive changes in the near future. This is likely to include the format of this newsletter so watch this space. [continues…] 2 2 [CEO Update continued…] Another significant change at NZRL HQ has been a more literal restructure of the office. The removal of central walls now has programme delivery and support staff at open plan work stations (pictured). An area previously described as a ‘rabbit warren’ now offers a better work environment, with the added advantage of improving internal communications. NZRL HQ gets a makeover. Daniel Floyd (foreground) takes his place in the NZRL Football Department, adjacent to the desk soon to filled by Ruben Wiki. Opposite him sits Kevin Bailey (left) and Ian Macintosh (right) with the team’s skipper Tony Kemp in the background. At a regional level, the Zone Boards have been busy engaging with their district and club members in preparation for formal Zone establishment meetings commencing in February. Those involved in governance and administration at all levels of the game will be anxious to get these formalities concluded to ensure a smooth start to season 2010. I was fortunate enough to be part of the club meetings convened by the three Zone Boards covering the greater Auckland region and Northland. This was the first chance for those boards to engage direct with their member clubs and also a great opportunity for NZRL to update the Auckland and Northland clubs on game plan progress. These three Zone Boards will now work with the existing Auckland District Rugby League to develop an agreement that will guide the delivery of competitions, development programmes and club support across the region. Shaping an Operational Heads of Agreement that covers three Zones obviously makes this a complex but critical task. I have recently been in Australia finalising hosting arrangements for the 2010 Four Nations tournament later this year. Following those discussions we have been able to confirm that New Zealand will host four of the seven test matches in this year’s tournament, including a historic double header at the redeveloped Eden Park. This is a fantastic result for the game in this country with the added bonus of hosting the prestigious Rugby League International Federation annual awards dinner at Eden Park during the week of the double header. This is a very satisfying result for the NZRL and a fitting finale for a year that marks the 100th birthday of the national body. Given the significance of this milestone, you can be sure there is much more in store for future updates. Jim 3 FROM THE FOOTBALL DEPARTMENT While Football Manager Tony Kemp has only just assembled his new team, they have been busy gearing up for season 2010. Kemp himself is working closely with Coach Kearney on planning for the May 7 ANZAC Test in Melbourne and expects to thread his new High Performance Manager into that programme at the appropriate time. The remaining team members have summarised their key focus and activity as follows: Referees – Ian Macintosh ( [email protected] ) The NZRL football department approached senior Warriors coaching and management staff in late 2009 with a proposal to assist Simon Mannering with his new captaincy role. Specifically the proposal was to run a referees course tailored for Simon in order to assist him to: • Gain competence and confidence as a captain by developing a clear understanding of all laws of the game. • Fully understand NRL ‘Key Indicators’ and ‘Decision Making Processes’ used by referees. • Potentially reduce infringements and lower penalty counts for the Warriors. • Open a line of continuing dialogue with relevant NZRL personnel to seek clarification of new rules and interpretations as necessary. After agreement from the Warriors, Simon participated in the three week course delivered by Ian Macintosh during January. At the completion of the course, Simon successfully negotiated and passed the Level 1 NZRL Referees examination and was subsequently awarded his accreditation certificate (pictured below receiving his Level 1 qualification from Ian Macintosh). Macintosh said “Simon surprised me with his good general knowledge of the rules of Rugby League. He showed a good deal of maturity during the course and by taking the content seriously, I believe he learnt a great deal. We involved experienced NZRL Test referee Leon Williamson in part of the course to help mentor Simon and to give him an appreciation of what he can expect from referees in his new role“. Keep an eye out for Captain Mannering confidently questioning referees’ calls this year with the help of his new found knowledge of the rules and appreciation of the whistle-blower’s role. [continues...] 4 [Football Update continued] Competitions – Kevin Bailey ( [email protected] ) Kevin has been working on the national competition scheduled to kick off at the end of August following district club competitions. The competition will see 15s, 17s and Open grades competing in an inter-Zone format culminating in mid October finals. Draft draws and budgets have been completed with preliminary work now underway on logistical arrangements. The draft draw is expected to be released in February. Coaching & Development – Daniel Floyd ([email protected] ) Dan is currently working with the relevant personnel to review the content and delivery of the LeagueSmart programme, Modified Games coaching course and the overall coaching structure. He has also been contacting the key district personnel to assess current levels of activity and assess development priorities in the regions. This district contact coincides with the planning required to ensure Modified and International Games courses are up and running throughout the country. At this stage course dates have been confirmed in Christchurch, Wellington, Tauranga and Auckland during February/March. Contact your district league or Daniel at the NZRL office should you require any specific information about these courses. A commitment to coaching excellence is equally important whether you are taking on the world… or taking up the challenge of teaching Rugby League to kids through the modified games programme. 5 COMMUNITY PROGRAMMES Community Programmes Manager Dain Guttenbeil has worked closely with the Football Manager Tony Kemp, CEO Jim Doyle and NZRL business partner KooGa sports apparel, to develop an exciting new initiative. In line with its strategic plan New Zealand Rugby League is launching the KooGa “Roots” Community Camps programme throughout the country during February and March. The camps are a one day programme aimed at increasing participation through education of the community about rugby league fundamentals. All attendees will have the opportunity to be up skilled through the League Smart Level 0 programme and newly developed Mini and Mod certification. The course is designed for Coaches, Managers, Trainers, Players, Referees and Administrators with camps already confirmed for Northland, Auckland, Waikato, Wellington and Caterbury during the coming months. Participation packs will be distributed on the day for all those involved. Keep an eye out for information through your zone/districts shortly. 2009 LeagueSmart Providers Course—This programme is in for a significant upgrade in 2010.