Sports clubs in Oamaru interested in entering into a proposed sports partnership will next week discuss the benefits of increased cross-code collaboration.
Sport Waitaki and the Waitaki District Council were last month awarded a $90,000 grant from Sport New Zealand to set up a partnership model for groups that use Centennial Park and the Waitaki Recreation Centre, and Sport Waitaki co-ordinator Kate Cartwright said a meeting, to be held next Wednesday, would provide groups with a chance to hear details of the concept and listen to feedback from interested parties.
Miss Cartwright said four groups had already notified her of their intention to attend the meeting at the Athletic Marist clubrooms, but added she was "very confident" that more would attend.
Sports clubs across the country had already benefited from successful sports partnership projects, she said.
"The sports partnership concept is viewed as a model that can help sports and clubs remain successful and sustainable for years to come. It creates opportunities for greater collaboration between clubs who are experiencing similar difficulties with increasing running costs, lack of funding, decreasing membership numbers and fewer volunteers."
Sports groups that use the recreation centre or Centennial Park should notify Sport Waitaki of their intention to attend the meeting by Monday.
