News

New Zealand Rugby has initiated a move to help tackle the interest in youth rugby by putting together the Rangatahi Advisory Group.

Made of 10 young people from around the country, it is tasked with looking at the issues facing the sport through the lens of the young.

William Glover represents Counties Manukau on the panel.

Glover said the group has already laid the platform for what lies ahead.

“Over our past 5 group meetings, we have been looking at how rugby in New Zealand works, the values of NZ rugby and the many issues facing rangatahi (youth) who are involved with playing, managing and refereeing rugby, and the reason for these challenges,” Glover explained.

“We have looked at solutions to help bring more people back into being involved with rugby, by taking a participant-centred approach, and methods to maintain and enhance their experience. 

“We have recently started to look at development, education and training programmes for all involved in rugby (players, referees and coaches) to help to better their knowledge about different aspects of rugby, which will hopefully lead to better player retention.”

Glover has enjoyed the experience and is looking forward to passing on what he has learned and also to help shape the way forward. 

“I have loved the experience so far, and it has been awesome to be able connect and share ideas with like-minded people who are also passionate about making our game of rugby more enjoyable across the board for everyone involved,” Glover said.

“A highlight for me has been sharing and finding out solutions to the issues that we face, especially for young referees my age. I look forward to bringing back the findings from our projects to help enhance the experiences of all rangatahi involved in rugby around the Counties Manukau region, especially young referees. 

“I hope that by the end of my time on the NZR RAG, I will be able to apply the knowledge and findings I’ve picked up, to a regional space, and hopefully work towards establishing a youth advisory group for the Counties Manukau region.”