Auckland Welcomes 4,000 Students For The Secondary School Sport Auckland Tournament Week 2 To 8 September

One of New Zealand Sports top youth sports tournaments is returning to Auckland from 2 to 8 September.

Around 4,000 student athletes will be competing at the Secondary School Sport Auckland Tournament Week, vying for honours across eleven winter sports at venues all over Tāmaki Makaurau.

The Junior Premiership Zone 1 and AA Premierships Zone 1 Secondary Schools Basketball, NZSS Athletics Road Race Championships, NZSS Football Boys Premier Tournament, NZSS Indoor Bowls Championships Singles & Pairs, NZSS Golf Croquet Championships, NZSS Skateboarding Championships, NZSS Team Road Racing Championships, NZSS Weightlifting Championships, NZSS Wrestling Championships, Upper North Island Boys Mayhill Cup and Upper North Island Secondary Schools Netball will all be contested during the competition.

Neil Penfold, Chairman of NZSSF, is looking forward to the tournament returning to Tāmaki Makaurau following a significant length of time being hosted elsewhere in Aotearoa.

“It gives me enormous pride to welcome all of the travelling schools to the city that I now call home,” said Penfold.

“Auckland is a diverse and exciting city and I hope that all of the players, coaches, accompanying staff and all of the supporters and whānau who are travelling to this year's tournament, enjoy their time here. I have many happy memories from past tournaments and am looking forward to seeing what this year brings. The students should relish competing at some of our top facilities in the city.”

Penfold wishes all the competing teams’ luck and hopes they go home with fabulous memories and wonderful stories to tell.

Michelle Hooper, Head of Major Events at Tātaki Auckland Unlimited, who are supporting the tournament, says the event is an exciting opportunity for students, as well as for the region, which is expected to bring about 6,500 visitor nights to the city.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming rangatahi and their supporters from around the country to compete in Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland. There’s an impressive line-up of sporting codes represented this year and I wish everyone the best of luck in their chosen field. I also hope visitors can take some time to explore and enjoy our beautiful region.”

In addition to the competitions, students will also have the chance to hear from some of New Zealand’s top athletes, including Olympic gold medallist Michael Brake (rowing), Michaela Blyde (rugby sevens) who has just returned from Paris with her second Olympic gold medal, basketball star Tom Abercrombie and netball champions Holly Fowler and Kate Burley from the Stars at the welcome dinners held at NZMA Sylvia Park Campus.

These dinners are kindly sponsored by NZMA and crafted by The Culinary Collective students and teachers to support the event and provide the young athletes with some kai and a place to celebrate tournament week.

Due to the scale of the event, sports will be competing at venues across the city. For a full list of the events and details please see our website: https://nzsportcollective.co.nz/aucklandschoolsportweek/

About Tātaki Auckland Unlimited

Tātaki Auckland Unlimited is Tāmaki Makaurau Auckland’s economic and cultural agency committed to making our region a desirable place to live, work, visit, invest and do business. To find out more visit aucklandunlimited.com.

About NZMA

NZMA is a Category One PTE offering vocational education and training in Trades, Hospitality, Cookery, Early Childhood Education, Pharmacy, Pre-Nursing, Horticulture, Sports, Personal Training & Esports. NZMA has 9 campuses across New Zealand. NZMA and The Culinary Collective form part of UP Education – New Zealand’s leading independent tertiary education group. To find out more visit https://www.nzma.ac.nz.

For more information on the Secondary School Sport Auckland Tournament Week please contact Lucie Fowler at lucie@waddell.nz.

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