Big boost for next wave of future stars
Tania Dalton may have died two years ago but her legacy lives on through a foundation which helps 12 young women every year to explore their sporting potential.
The former Silver Ferns netballer died in 2017, aged 45, after she collapsed due to a brain aneurysm while playing a game of social touch rugby.
The latest intake of the Tania Dalton Foundation’s scholarship programme have just been named.
Dalton’s husband and foundation founder, Duane Dalton, said the programme helps the young women develop and make healthy decisions for their future. “They have such great potential, and these [are] the crucial years to ensure they make the most of that,” he said.
“Following Tania’s footsteps, we’re encouraging these girls to see themselves as future role models and leaders in their communities, finding ways to work alongside and inspire them to realise their ultimate dreams.
“And we’ve had great success in our first year, with two of our original scholarship recipients making the selections for the Black Ferns Sevens development squad.”
The programme will support this year’s scholarship recipients over a three-year period. Dalton said while some of his wife’s closest friends and former teammates are important to the foundation’s success, their daughter Tayla Dalton was instrumental.
“Being of the same age as a number of these young scholarship recipients, she knows the best way to inspire and influence the group,” he said.
The 12 recipients, aged between 15 and 18 years old, will each be paired with a mentor.