Get off your bum and join a club
Sport clubs are becoming increasingly popular in New Zealand. Here’s why.
hiding, running, stealth and accuracy. Photo supplied
Two-thirds of Kiwis belong to a club or organisation according to a recent Statistics New Zealand report, with sports clubs becoming steadily more popular.
The 2014 New Zealand General Social Survey shows 64 percent of New Zealand adults belonged to a club while six percent belonged to four or more clubs.
The survey shows 28 percent of club members belonged to a sporting club.
With the Rugby World Cup just finished, and the All Blacks winning for the second time in a row, it is not hard to see that sporting clubs are the most popular.
“We know that being part of a club helps build a sense of solidarity between people,” social statistics manager Diane Ramsay says.
Club membership is important because being part of a ‘team’ creates solidarity between people or groups who live in a community or have shared interests.
“People in clubs develop friendships with people from diverse backgrounds, and also gain access to a greater variety of support and resources than they can have as individuals.”
This is evident in Melissa Liebenberg’s sports club experience. As a member of the Pukekohe Hockey Club she says the best thing about her club is fundraising time.
“Everyone comes together when it comes to fundraising and this alone brings us even closer as club members.
“I joined this club five years ago when I moved into the area and I have loved playing for them ever since my first trial.”
Although the study found that older people around the age of 65 years or over were the most likely to be a member of a club, Daniel Sayle, 22, has been a keen player of Airsoft, a sport that uses gas-powered simulation guns and BB bullets, for five years and says the sport changed his life.
Through the sport he got a job at the Airsoft Gun Centre, which he says he enjoys “very much”.
“The best part about being in an airsoft club is being able to meet people with similar interests to me. The sport keeps me social and active when I’m not working and I’m always meeting new people. It helps me to keep fit and motivated,” he says.
