The 32-year-old Bayfield High School assistant principal looks after the Bayfield girls' cricket team, the girls junior B basketball team and coaches the school's throwers in athletics.
Previously he coached cricket, netball, junior rugby and athletics at East Otago High School.
A useful rugby and cricket player himself in his day, Campbell had given away playing to spend time with his family. He enjoyed staying involved in sports, though, and said the struggle to find coaches for school teams was part of the reason he stepped up.
''I guess my main motivation is watching the kids develop and being able to pass on some skills and then watching them be able to do it is pretty awesome,'' he said.
''I'm not amazing at basketball or netball or anything like that, but the big thing is that if no-one looks after the team then the team doesn't happen.
''I feel bad if the kids don't have a coach, so I normally just put my hand up and say I'll help out with what I know.
''When I was out at East Otago there was heaps of teams that didn't have a coach so I just put my hand up and said 'Yeah, I'll do it'.''
He said being involved with sports had benefits when it came to teaching, too.
''It normally helps with behaviour issues and that sort of stuff,'' he said.
''So getting to know the kids outside the classroom, if there's an issue inside, it just helps build that rapport with them. You can talk about things that are going on at the game and things you're going to do at training and the kids buy into it and they're normally better in your classes. I've found that, anyway.''
Being involved in a sport was something he recommended to teachers, even if they were not experts.
''When we have new teachers in the school I often say get involved, try and do something, because often you'll find the most difficult kids, outside the classroom they're guns at some sort of sport and that'll help you,'' he said.
''There's different avenues ... if you don't have the skills to coach. You can be a manager or help out, go and support teams, even. Get alongside a student coach or something like that.''
-By Jeff Cheshire
