National leagues get $5m boost
National sporting leagues received a $5 million injection from the government yesterday.
The announcement was made by minister for sport Grant Robertson, as part of the first wave of funding from the $265 million sport recovery package.
It is a lifeline for basketball, hockey and rugby league, which will now be able to get national competitions off the ground.
Netball, football, cricket, bowls, softball, rugby and ice hockey also received funding for national competitions.
Basketball New Zealand has received $300,000 for the men’s league and $200,000 for the women’s.
Basketball NZ was bypassed in Sport New Zealand’s $4.6 million Covid-19 financial relief package for professional sports announced in early June, so the $500,000 injection has come as a ‘‘huge relief’’ for chief executive Iain Potter.
The funding means the women’s league will also go ahead in 2020. More details will be announced later this month.
New Zealand Rugby League chief executive Greg Peters said the organisation has received ‘‘a substantial amount, in the hundreds of thousands’’ from the fund, which will help both the men’s and women’s leagues go ahead.
Sport New Zealand said rugby league will receive $300,000 for the mens league, while the women’s league will receive $290,000.
Peters said the organisation was considering cancelling the leagues as they did not have the funds to run them. He said NZRL is reliant on Class 4 gaming money to fund the national leagues.
He is still looking at the final scheduling, but it’s likely the national leagues will be played in September and October.
The number of teams competing is still to be confirmed, but he said it’s likely four women’s teams will participate in the league.
More announcements on funding for national leagues is due in the coming days, with Football New Zealand set to announce its funding today.
Unwanted Warriors halfback Blake Green says he still hasn’t spoken with club owner Mark Robinson.
Robinson confirmed last week that Green and centre Gerard Beale wouldn’t be offered contracts for next season.
The timing of the announcement last Thursday came as a surprise, especially as the players hadn’t been told that Robinson would go public with the club’s decision.
While it sent shock waves through the club, with other players unaware that the two veterans were going to be axed, both had outstanding games in the 26-16 NRL win over the Broncos on Saturday night.
Speaking to media yesterday, Green said he still hasn’t had a conversation with Robinson, who is in camp with the team in Gosford.
‘‘Not as yet, I’m sure we will in the coming days,’’ Green said when asked if he’d talked to Robinson.
When they do eventually talk, Green suggested he’ll spend most of the time listening.
‘‘I don’t think I have to say too much, to be honest,’’ he said.
‘‘I’ll probably just listen, I’m sure he’ll have a few things to say to me. I’m not sure how that’s going to go.’’
Green was asked if he was disappointed that Robinson hadn’t spoken to him and said: ‘‘I’m sure he will. The club has obviously got a plan in place, that will happen in time, I guess.’’
Green said he knew a couple of days before it went public that he’d have to find a new club for 2021, when Warriors’ recruitment and retention manager Peter O’sullivan informed him of the club’s decision. However, he says he doesn’t know why he’s not wanted and hasn’t been able to find anything out this week.
‘‘Not at this stage,’’ Green said. ‘‘It sort of happened quite quickly, we had a review the next day [Sunday], jumped into training on Monday and it was a big day for us, so today is our first day off.
‘‘We’ll see what happens in the coming days.’’
Although Beale is in the same boat, Green said he decided not to have a conversation with him about what they were both going through.
‘‘I haven’t spoke to Bealey, because I didn’t know if he’d seen it or he’d been told,’’ Green said.
‘‘I didn’t know his situation and I didn’t want to seem rude or be nosey about it.
‘‘I didn’t want to interfere with