Foster speaks at sponsors' event
All Blacks coach Ian Foster shares tales with local crowd
As the world awaits the news of his next coaching destination, former All Blacks coach Ian Foster has been giving back to the community. The highest-capped Waikato rugby player of all time once again returned to his beloved Te Awamutu Rugby Sports & Recreation Club sponsors’ evening as a guest speaker last Tuesday.
The annual event was MCed by club stalwart David Fox and Te Awamutu Rugby Sports & Recreation Club board member Joe Sprangers informed the sponsors about the club’s history, as well as what was happening within their sporting codes and projects.
In 2023, Te Awamutu Sports had more than 5000 members active in sports recreation and play, from weekly indoor netball competitions, Thursday night touch rugby, afterschool competitions and all the other teams competing for the club.
These sports included cricket, lacrosse, netball, miniball, rugby and rugby league.
It was also one of the most successful rugby seasons in the club’s 34-year history, across both junior and senior levels.
Both the senior and junior club sent teams to compete in tournaments in France.
“We recently had all our field lights replaced with LEDs. These new lights are more cost-effective than our previous lights, they also put out a lot more spillage onto the field which gives our teams more space to train,” Sprangers said.
“We have a golf fundraiser coming up in which we are raising funds to get number flags which can be used by all codes to mark out their fields or courts.”
Following on from Sprangers’ speech, Stuart Gudsell was awarded life membership after his many years involved with cycling.
President Mark McNaughten had the job of bestowing this honour on Gudsell.
Dinner was then served before Foster took centre stage to share about his time as All Blacks coach and to answer questions.
Foster said that although he has had offers for other international coaching jobs, he couldn’t see himself facing the All Blacks after such a tenure of involvement.
He was well received and the Te Awamutu Sports community appreciated his candour.
When Foster concluded, Gudsell returned as an auctioneer to help raise funds for the club.
Items of interest were two Foster signed caps that went for $280 each and a Foster signed All Blacks polo shirt that was bought for $660.