What is the future role of a sports club in a community? A recent trip to Pōrangahau confirmed a lot for me and added to what this role possibly could be. Pōrangahau is a small community of a few hundred people, with a wider rural catchment of around 2,000 people situated about 30 mins drive south of Waipukurau (put it on the visit list if you haven't been there). It is in recovery mode from Cyclone Gabrielle's flooding. The community are positive and supporting each other as houses, businesses and the land are being repaired.
A central community group is the Pōrangahau Sports Club. It is an amalgam of two antecedent rugby clubs that then added on netball and subsequently invited other community sport activities to use the clubrooms and share in the community spirit that is there. But it doesn't stop there. The PSC also donate money to the local schools to help with costs to participate in sport; and we are not talking small change. It is unsurprising that the club was asked to be the venue for Cyclone Gabrielle Recovery support to be based from.
The club has aspirations and goals. It is currently based in a very old, former Masonic Hall. When the kitchen team (who serve up the best club meals in Hawke's Bay) requested the old stove was replaced, the committee responded. But that was only the start of a conversation to look at upgrading the hall. It soon became apparent to the club that renovating the old hall could be a very costly exercise, so they began to talk to others about the possibility of a new, fit-for-purpose facility, closer to the sports fields and change rooms. The regional sports trust provided guidance and we were asked to help the PSC work through its future options. RSL has loved working with the PSC. The club is actively making a difference in people's lives.
So what does the future look like for a rural sports club? Well, if the PSC is anything to go by, the future could be very bright. If the focus is on the broader community's wellbeing, using sport (or recreation) as the catalyst to bring people together to engage and socialise, then the club has a key role to play. The outcomes for the community can be very broad - ranging from physical and mental health benefits, increased engagement of residents and improved opportunities for tamariki and rangatahi. If rural sports clubs can take the lessons of Pōrangahau on board, they will serve themselves, and their communities, very well indeed.
