Judgement Day For NZ's Most Valuable Coach

The fulltime whistle has blown, and the seven judges who will have the hard task of selecting New Zealand's 'Most Valuable Coach' have been announced.

The judges who will select the National Wattie's Baked Beans Most Valuable Coach (MVC) include some of New Zealand's top names in the world of sport.

The Wattie's Baked Beans MVC Awards seek to recognise the unsung heroes of New Zealand sport - the thousands of volunteer coaches who put hours of time into training and motivating players and helping them develop a passion for sport. The judging panel meets on October 19 to choose the national winner and the winner will be announced on October 27.

New Zealand Mens Softball Team Coach Don Tricker will be joined on the national judging panel by sports reporter Andrew Dewhurst, Hillary Commissioner Colleen Mills and the Hillary Commission's Head of Coaching and Sport Development, Keith Mair.

Well known sports dietitian Jeni Pearce and exercise physiologist and training consultant, Jon Ackland will also provide their input into who should win the National MVC Award. Susie Cropper of Heinz Wattie's Australasia will assist with the judging for the National MVC.

This is the second year that Keith Mair has been involved in the judging of the MVC Awards, and he is well aware of the difficult task ahead.

"Choosing a National MVC winner will not be easy with the quality of the coaches who've been nominated," says Mr Mair.

However, Mr Mair says that the high quality of the judging panel will ease the judging process.

"We're very pleased with the calibre of the judges on this year's panel, and grateful for the ongoing support of Andrew Dewhurst, Jeni Pearce and Jon Ackland. It's also exciting to have Colleen Mills and Don Tricker bring their sports coaching experience to the judging panel. The involvement of all of these people emphasises that New Zealand's sporting community does recognise and value the time and effort put in by community level coaches," says Mr Mair. From 17 July to 25 August, Wattie's Baked Beans, in association with the Hillary Commission and the country's 17 Regional Sports Trusts, encouraged teams, individual players and their friends and families to 'blow the whistle' on their coaches.

Each of the 17 Regional Sports Trusts are currently announcing their region's Wattie's Baked Beans Most Valuable Coach at special events nationwide. The national judging panel will make their choice from the 17 Regional MVC winners. These winners will meet in Wellington for the National Awards ceremony at the Westpac Trust Stadium on Friday 27 October, where the National MVC winner will be announced.

The National Wattie's Baked Beans Most Valuable Coach will be presented with the MVC trophy and win prizes which will include a trip to a sports event of their choice to the value of $4,000, Hillary Commission's Coaches Count gear, and a year's supply of Wattie's Baked Beans.

Everyone who nominated a coach is entered into a prize draw and will also be in to win a trip to a sports event of their choice to the value of $2,000 and a year's supply of Wattie's Baked Beans; or one of four prizes of sports gear, each to the value of $500 to be nominated to a school or sports club of their choice, and a year's supply of Wattie's Baked Beans.

For further information please contact:

Keith Mair or Lynda O'Cain at the Hillary Commission, phone 04 472 8058 Susie Cropper Heinz Wattie's Australasia, phone 09 308 5126

Issued by Network Communications (Sarah Williams and Andrea Thuell) phone 09 379 3154.

ENDS

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