The whole Selwyn/Prebbleton/Rolleston/Lincoln thing is interesting. Different from Waimak in that Rangiora & Kaiapoi were already established clubs before the merger. Mainland probably need to get in there as the sports governing body with overall responsibility for game development and give some guidance. They are starting to take on this responsibility much more seriously than in the past, whether they are good at it or not remains to be seen but at least they are doing it. It pretty much comes back to demographics and a cunning plan. If Prebbleton can come up with a model of sustainable growth that leads to a senior club supporting both men's and women's games then I say go for it, as long as the same happens for Selwyn/Rolleston/Lincoln. There are still too many clubs around that sell the game short by focusing on only certain areas such as Juniors, senior social men, MPL etc. Any club should have as part of its licence to operate a commitment to providing the opportunity for anyone living in that community to play the game. Simple stuff.
The whole Selwyn/Prebbleton/Rolleston/Lincoln thing is interesting. Different from Waimak in that Rangiora & Kaiapoi were already established clubs before the merger. Mainland probably need to get in there as the sports governing body with overall responsibility for game development and give some guidance. They are starting to take on this responsibility much more seriously than in the past, whether they are good at it or not remains to be seen but at least they are doing it. It pretty much comes back to demographics and a cunning plan. If Prebbleton can come up with a model of sustainable growth that leads to a senior club supporting both men's and women's games then I say go for it, as long as the same happens for Selwyn/Rolleston/Lincoln. There are still too many clubs around that sell the game short by focusing on only certain areas such as Juniors, senior social men, MPL etc. Any club should have as part of its licence to operate a commitment to providing the opportunity for anyone living in that community to play the game. Simple stuff.