A new initiative has come together in West Auckland with the aim of growing the game and getting more kids involved with rugby league. The Waitakere Rugby League Academy allows kids who have never played league before to be introduced to a fun, social and educational environment.  

The purpose of this is to give kids in our community a sport that keeps them engaged through their high school years to keep them playing into the senior grades. Rugby League, like other community sports, acts as a vehicle to bring rangatahi into a positive team environment where they can be taught important life skills and form positive relationships within the community. 

The Academy got off the ground in February and has a pure focus on participation and teaching the kids the game of Rugby League. It’s being led by Te Atatu's Craig Godfrey with Francis Leger and Ben Collins from the Pt Chevalier Pirates driving the operational and delivery spaces of the academy. 

“We’ve got no interest in building representative or a super team, what we are trying to do is give kids an opportunity to learn the game they love and the opportunity for them to participate. So, they can hopefully continue to play when they're older and help strengthen grades in Auckland”, Craig Godfrey said. 

After a strategic meeting last year, Godfrey came away wanting to establish an initiative to help grow the youth international grades (U13-18) and North-Western region of Auckland to assist with building greater rugby league engagement and participation in those areas. 

A lot of community sports move to focus on results and building a winning team throughout U13-18 youth grades. The Academy focuses on fun, education, and engagement to overcome that with the main goal of the Academy being participation in rugby league. 

“It’s about getting as many kids involved as possible, regardless of their ability. We’re giving children the opportunity to be put in a positive environment, so they can make new friends, learn new skills, and hopefully gain a love for the game.” 

There are currently Sunday sessions being run at 8am on Sundays at Jack Colvin Park for females aged 13 and over. The Academy has also been delivering to six schools this term and working up to a clinic that will be run at Te Atatu South Park in the July school holidays. 

Article added: Friday 02 June 2023