NZRU injects $25m into grassroots

NZRU injects $25m into grassroots

September 11, 2007 - 2:53PM

The New Zealand Rugby Union announced a $NZ25 million ($A21 million) boost for the sport's grassroots on Tuesday.

However, it expressed disappointment at a four per cent or 5000 drop in playing numbers this year (136,059) compared with last year (141,241), after boasting a general increase of 13 per cent between 2004 and 2007.

Though there were a number of reasons for the significant decline in one year, it appeared the biggest drop-offs were in the bigger centres and among the upper teens.

Under its new community rugby plan, the union will invest $25 million between 2008 and 2011, taking its total investment in community rugby to $NZ48 million ($A40.5 million) over eight years.

Good to see, strange time for the announcement.

Most of the bigger kiwi ANZC teams finance their own Rugby Academies, so nice to see the NZRU putting some money into the club level .. where rests the strength of the kiwi game. Hope they spend it out in the minor Provinces .. read not in Auckland, Wellington, or Canterbury.