The wooden floor sports hall, which takes up half of the court space at the new Selwyn Sports Centre at Foster Park, will be named the John F. Reid Courts in honour of the former Kiwi cricketer's achievements nationally and in Selwyn.
The four sprung wood courts in the hall are due to be laid in the next fortnight as the centre marks another milestone towards opening to the public in time for the 2021 winter sport season.
Selwyn Mayor Sam Broughton said the name will acknowledge Reid’s work as a champion of the courts and community sport in Selwyn.
Originally from Auckland, Reid represented New Zealand at cricket in 19 tests and 25 one day internationals between 1979 and 1986.
He holds the record as the fastest New Zealander to score 1000 runs in test cricket, set in 1985. His career test batting average of 46 ranks him among the top 10 players in New Zealand test cricket history.
He went on to become chief executive of Auckland Cricket and then moved to Selwyn in 1996 to work for New Zealand Cricket as its cricket operations manager and high-performance manager.
Reid spent nine years in senior roles at Sport New Zealand (previously SPARC), supporting community sport delivery and establishing a national programme to identify and develop talented young athletes.
Reid was an inaugural trustee of the Selwyn Sports Trust, and advocated to the Selwyn District Council for a sport and recreation centre.
Reid has been the council’s major projects property manager since 2015, overseeing some significant building projects, council group manager property Douglas Marshall said.
"We’re lucky to have one of the country’s best sports administrators working with a passion for the people of Selwyn on projects that will serve the community for a long time.
"John has led the implementation phase of developing Foster Park and continues to provide the leadership to deliver the Selwyn Sports Centre, ensuring the district gains a facility that will serve the whole community."
