Wednesday saw a night of emotional and well-deserved celebration for Auckland Rugby’s 17 Pro Sport trainees at Eden Park.

Before proud families, guests – including 2008-15 Pro Sport education manager Gary Peach and former Auckland Rugby CEO Andy Dalton, a strong supporter of the programme – and assorted Auckland Rugby staff and board members, the trainees reflected on a busy year in which many of them thrived in the programme. Thirteen graduated with their National Certificate in Sport and Recreation level 3, while four, back from 2016, completed level 4.

“We have taken risks, learned new skills and knowledge, tripped and stumbled but always supported each other through all of this,” says Pro Sport education manager Shirley Syman, known to all and sundry as ‘Aunty.’

“It has definitely been a year of experiences and opportunities. Most of them have been hugely successful, and we have taken a great deal of learning from these situations and had much fun along the way.”

The event was MCd by Pro Sport teacher Danny Gautusa, and the respect and clear affection with which he and Syman are held was evident with the stirring haka performed by all 17 trainees.

Black Ferns and Storm prop Aldora Itunu, a 2010 Pro Sport trainee, was guest speaker and she gave her first Black Ferns jersey, from 2015, to Peach, who taught her in 2010 and to whom she still holds the highest regard.

Auckland Rugby junior rugby development officer Joseph Tuitavake spoke warmly on how helpful the trainees had been to the RDOs throughout a busy 2017 in helping deliver the myriad primary school tournaments run by the union.

The sterling work done by the Pro Sporters on Eden Park match-days is renowned. It has been said that Pro Sport is “the backbone of Auckland Rugby” and this still holds true.

Sheeniell Viliko, who won the Spirit of Pro Sport award, gave the valediction. It began and ended with two apt quotes: ‘If your uniform isn’t dirty, you haven’t been in the game’ and ‘It’s not how you start that counts, but how you finish.’

No one will doubt that the 17 trainees have been in the game and finished strongly.

2017 Pro Sport special awards

Service: Sabrina Kiole

Quiet achiever: John Phillip (JP) Ngatoko

Personal development: Darius Mauga

Health and nutrition: Joanna Fanene Lolo

Outstanding commitment as a referee: George Maiava

Eden Park Trust outstanding commitment: George Maiava

Outstanding achievement in rugby: Joanna Fanene Lolo/Penisoni Fineanganofo/Siave Togoiu

Leadership: Penisoni Fineanganofo/Sheeniell Viliko

Achievement against the odds: Ponifasio Sanalio

Koru award: Penisoni Fineanganofo

Spirit of Pro Sport award: Sheeniell Viliko

Pro Sport trainee of the year: Penisoni Fineanganofo

Other trainees were: Tepou Arakua, Tonga Piukala and Jon Taratu (level 3) and Afioga Ielemia, Dominic Maupese, Nick Laufoli and Fuiva Takitaki (level 4)

About Pro Sport

The Pro Sport career programme, hatched in 2002, was classified by NZQA as a category one provider as of April 2011 and is run by the Auckland Rugby Union.  

It is the only programme of its type run by any of the New Zealand provincial unions and is managed and delivered by two qualified, New Zealand registered teachers in Syman and Gautusa.

The Auckland union saw a way of not only retaining and supporting its young pool of rugby talent, but also providing them with educational and employment opportunities through learning and work experience opportunities primarily within the rugby development, coaching and event management areas. 

The National Certificate in Recreation and Sport is the qualification which is delivered within the programme. The aim is to equip the trainees with the necessary skills and ability to either advance into long-term sustainable employment; a career within the sports industry or to further their academic qualifications through further tertiary educational studies while also further developing their rugby.  

Another key aim of the programme is to support and enhance the delivery of rugby in the Auckland area, particularly in primary and intermediate schools through the management of tournaments. The programme also encompasses embedded literacy and numeracy programmes to meet individual learner needs.

The programme takes an holistic and relevant approach to learning and the development of young and vital individuals with many abilities, who are being given the opportunity to gain qualifications, not only in the specific field of rugby, but across a range of generic subjects which will enable them to develop and apply transferable life and employment skills, appropriate in any employment, further study or recreation and/or sporting situation.