Community sport development covers the organisational building blocks that make sport clubs sustainable — coach development, volunteer training, junior pathways, club governance, and community engagement. New Zealand has strong investment in community sport development through Sport NZ and Regional Sport Trusts. This guide covers the key funding sources.
Sport NZ funds community sport development:
- Tū Manawa Active Aotearoa: Community sport participation and capability
- Club Development: Organisational capacity for community sport clubs
- Coach Development: Coach education investment through national sport bodies
- Volunteer support: Volunteer capability for community sport
- Junior sport: Pathway development from participation to competition
RSTs are the primary delivery vehicle for community sport development:
- Aktive Auckland: Auckland's large volunteer sport sector
- Sport Wellington: Wellington region club development
- Sport Canterbury: Christchurch community sport rebuilding
- Sport Waikato, Sport Bay of Plenty: Regional sport development
RST community sport development programmes:
- Club development advisors — visiting clubs to build capacity
- Coach education courses (community level)
- Volunteer recruitment and training
- Junior sport pathway development
- Club governance workshops
Gaming trusts fund community sport development:
- Four Winds Foundation: Club development and community sport
- Grassroots Trust: Sport clubs building community capacity
- Pub Charity: Programme grants for community sport
- Lion Foundation: Community sport development
Coaching is a primary community sport development priority:
- Coaching New Zealand: Coach education at all levels
- National sport bodies: Deliver Sport NZ-funded coach education
- RSTs: Community coaching courses and support
- Club coaching grants: Cost of coach courses and upskilling
Common coaching grants:
- Introductory coach courses
- Online coaching modules
- Specialist coach education (junior, disability, women)
- Coaching conferences and professional development
Volunteer capability is critical for club sustainability:
- Sport NZ volunteer support: Training and resources
- Volunteer Service Abroad (VSA): Community volunteer development
- RST volunteer programmes: Club volunteer recruitment and retention
Volunteer development grants:
- Volunteer training workshops
- Volunteer management systems
- Volunteer recruitment campaigns
- Recognition programmes
Junior development as a strategic priority:
- Junior club development: Clubs building junior programmes
- Schools connections: Links between school and club sport
- Junior competitions: Age-group competitions for community sport
- Pathway athletes: Identifying and developing talented juniors
Funders for junior sport development:
- Sport NZ
- RSTs
- National sport bodies
- Gaming trusts
Making clubs inclusive:
- Sport NZ disability inclusion: Club accessibility investment
- Paralympics NZ: Inclusive sport in clubs
- Whaikaha: Disability sport participation
- RST inclusion programmes: Community sport for people with disability
Club governance is a growing funder focus:
- Club governance training: Sport NZ and RST workshops
- Financial management: Treasurer and financial skills
- Strategic planning: Club future planning
- Succession planning: Leadership development and volunteer pipeline
Strong applications demonstrate:
- Participation growth: Planned increase in member numbers
- Volunteer pipeline: Volunteer recruitment and training plan
- Coaching capacity: Coach-to-player ratios and coach development plan
- Junior pathway: Under-18 participation — girls and boys
- Diversity: Māori, Pacific, migrant, disability inclusion
- Governance: Club structure, AGMs, financial management
- Sustainability: How the club will sustain after grant period
- Community reach: Members served, schools connected, community events
Tahua's grants management platform helps community sport clubs manage grant applications across Sport NZ, RSTs, gaming trusts, and national sport bodies, tracking coaching, volunteering, and participation outcomes across the club membership.