As part of his personal development programme with the Highlanders, midfield back Tei Walden has hit upon a project which he hopes will appeal to youngsters.
Walden is running an All Blacks Camp for kids early in the new year, teaching children the fundamentals of sport, not just rugby.
The camp would be for primary and intermediate school aged children and would be from January 4-6 next year.
Highlanders personal development manager Mark Ranby said Walden’s idea was an example of what players should aim for in furthering their skills.
"This is a classic example from a personal development aspect. It ticks a lot of boxes with a particular application with rugby," Ranby said.
"It is related to rugby, related to young people and is a really positive outlook for the sport ... giving back to a younger generation. It’s a really positive step and not just for Tei but for the sport in general."
Players have to work on their personal development for part of their working week and Walden said the idea came from when he went back to his home province of Taranaki after his season with Otago.
"I got talking to a family friend who was involved in an All Blacks camp for kids. That sort of got me thinking about how we could get it going down here. Launch it back here and get a few kids involved," Walden said.
"I’ve always wanted to be a RDO [rugby development officer] ... so I thought starting up a holiday programme and grow it from there. We may look at an after-school programme some time in the future but we’re just starting off at the moment."
The All Blacks camp for kids was part of the All Blacks brand and had been trialled in three North Island unions a few years ago but for various reasons had fallen over.
Walden talked to Ranby and the Otago Rugby Football Union, and they gave it their full support.
He would involve a few Otago players and may get a few Highlanders involved.
He said it has helped him already, learning how to build up relationships in a business sense and how to relate to children.
"You’re looking at contracts, doing all the administration, the health and safety of the whole thing."
Registrations can be accessed via the Small Blacks website.His partner Shannon Edgar was also heavily involved in promoting the programme, which would be open to about 40 children. It would be sited at Bathgate Park and run for the three mornings.
Walden (23) is two papers away from graduating with a bachelor of science degree in geography and Maori from the University of Otago.
