Winter Sports

The cross over of the sports seasons is in progress at present. The summer sports like cricket, tennis and touch are winding down while trials, musters and pre-season competitions are happening for the winter sports like rugby, netball and soccer. The Indian Summer we are experiencing is certainly making the beginning of the winter sports a bit of a trial (I speak from experience after sweltering in the Northland heat at Whangarei last Sunday).


For all those new (and experienced) coaches out there in Rodney, your library can be a good first stop to get some fresh ideas for running practices, teaching skills and putting your teams together. Here are a selection:


Netball: Guidebooks, coaching tips for the adults and coaches in the adult non-fiction, plus simpler introduction books for the first time players in our childrens non-fiction section. From experience, my favourites are Netball - Steps to Success by Wilma Shakespear and The Netball Handbook - Winning Essentials by Jane Woodlands (current coach of the Adelaide Thunderbirds)

Soccer or Football: I imagine with the All White's heading off to the World Cup this year and the success of the Phoenix, that there is going to be a huge demand for our football resources. It's a good thing we have plenty of them. Drills, skills, fitness and coaching techniques in a variety of formats for both children and adults.

Hockey: It's not the same game that I turned my nose up to at college. Playing on turf instead of muddy fields makes it a much faster (and dare I say, more skilled) game. Not quite as many titles to be found on this sport in the library, but still enough to get you started.

Rugby: Our national game rugby football or rugby union and the aspiring national game rugby league can all be found under this link. There are four pages of subject headings and resources for you to choose from.

If there is a sport we haven't mentioned and that you would like to find out about, just head into the library and ask one of the friendly librarians.