The Mainland Tactix have made it to the ANZ Premiership grand final, set to face off against the Northern Mystics for the title.
John Luxton was one of the original backers of the then-Canterbury Flames, and now Tactix, and joined Lesley Murdoch for a chat ahead of the final.
They discussed the history of the semi-professional game in Canterbury and the struggles the sport faces as uncertainty continues to loom.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
How did the tactics start all the way back to
two thousand and eight and who was on the inaugural board.
Let's go to one of those directors, and I'm talking
about formerly with Avon City Forward. What a fantastic backer
and supporter of netwill I have to say, alongside Scope
Industries as well have been the main stays throughout the years.
(00:21):
But John Luxton, good morning, good evening. Where you are
the tactics all those years ago?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Well, yeah, a long time ago, is Lehn.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
I was involved a little bit before the am Z
Championship started, so it still the candary Flames.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Then. I guess what had happened was the competition.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Had got a little bit straung out and everybody was
struggling for funds and they were looking for better competition
and the opportunity of bringing Australians and that, and there.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Was a proposal put up to do that.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
That's when we looked at restructuring the team, and I
guess the board changed quite a bit and we had
to look at it in a.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
More commercial way. The initial board had.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
We had people with the Flames, with people like Adrian
Hayes and Ian Hunt, who great contributors and they pretty
much pulled out when the new competition started. So there
was the likes of myself and even neither traced Chambers,
Steve Lancaster, I remember the name.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Lee was certainly involved.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Yes, absolutely, very valuable, concribublely did not just an apple cookingness,
the other things as well.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Absolutely. The biggest challenge back then was sponsorship.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
We had had a number of sponsors with the Flames
that lasted a year maybe two years, but didn't carry on.
When the new championship started, we were lucky enough to
bring Scope on board and that's when we looked at
restructuring and rebranding.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
I think one of the sadness, and I don't want
to be negative on what is such a positive weekend,
but it doesn't seem to me throughout the whole nitball
landscape that there is enough commercial and corporate support. It
just doesn't get It's just asserts. I don't think, given
that more people play nickball than any other sport in
this country, you know it doesn't.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
You never got enough for me, And as generous as
the sponsors were, we could never get enough of them.
We could never get enough money to give it to
make it work. And there were a lot of other
commercial pressures in those days. It soaked up a lot
of money, you know, the top tier, the top team
soaked up a lot of money, and you know, their
interests were in trying to grow the game regionally and
(02:19):
locally and and everything else.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
So it was it was really hard work.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
It was a pretty small pool of players at that stage,
and we were complete competing with with some aarias.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
That had a lot more money than us.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
You know, there were some areas that had licensing trusts
and other various trust and community trusts behind them that
through a lot of money at individual players that we
just couldn't match. You know, I can remember a lot
of those contract negotiations and I was sitting involved in
them with Kevin Eder and Steve Lancaster and others, and
(02:52):
you know, we just raised our eyebrows the sort of
money that was being thrown around.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Even though there was theoretically a salary cap and other
controls in place, it was very hard to compete.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
I know exactly what you're saying, you know, chucking the
Canterbury earthquakes, how difficult it was to attreat players to come. Look,
I don't want to gloss. Over the ensuing years, it's
been a hard road for the Tactics, and that's why
we are so buoyant and so happy and want to
see this team do well. We don't know really what's
going to happen next year, who's going to be playing.
(03:26):
But this is the Tactic's best opportunity to get that title.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Well, it's the best the twenty five plus years offen
sponsoring them, it's certainly the best opportunity I have. I
think we might have made the finals or semifinals maybe
three times over that time, and that's in recent years,
so it's pretty hard.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
You mentioned the earthquakes were devastating.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
The earthquakes, it took away all that sponsorship money and
everything else. We had a lot of younger players that
we were trying to support and they moved out of town.
A lot of younger people didn't want to live in
price jets then. So it wasn't the case of trying
to be competitive and then have a good commercial package.
You needed to provide an environment that they wanted to
be in, and that wasn't christ to that state.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
John, Why did you stay involved?
Speaker 2 (04:13):
That's a good question, Museum. I'm not one hundred cent. Sure.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
I mean sometimes you get into these things and it's
hard to get out, And you know, I enjoyed the.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Company of a lot of the people that were involved.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
There's a lot of good people working really hard to
make it happen. Look, I think the Dominus the Crusaders
should have made it hard to because they sucked every
last so that they were first on the list for everybody,
a sponsorship, everything else, so we really only dealt with
the scraps, and it just it just felt like that I.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Thought they deserved more. They just they deserved more. They
should have had better and it was really hard.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
And I mean a lot of those girls, I mean
if you look at the early days with the La
Mina datas and the Julie Seymour's.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
And all like that, I mean they had to work.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
They were working full time and still managing playing netball,
and a lot of them had young families.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
It was tough, and I thought they deserved a better chance.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
And I love all hung in there. One way or another.
We see them in different roles in the game that
they love so much. But yes, are you quietly confident
even though you're miles away, are you quietly confident that
our tactics can deal to the mystics.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Oh, absolutely, no question about it. Absolutely. I'll just send
a few messages to various people, but just all the best.
We're sitting.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
I'll be sitting here in Malta at the moment, and
I'll serddenly be finding a way to tune in and
watch and find out how it goes, and I'll be
celebrating along with everybody else.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Fantastic. It's brilliant to catch up with you, John, And
I know that Richard Burns, who's the deal of principal
now at av and city Ford, continues the support that
you started for the tactics. And how good is that?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
No, that's great now, Richard's been really supportive. He's come
on board, got a couple of young girls himself that
will probably hopefully play netble one day. So it's a
fingers crossed but I know Richard he's watching on with
real interest.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Well, John, you enjoy the match if you can get
to see it. In the meantime, stay safe where you
enjoy and thank you all.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Right, Take take here, Lizy loved and talk to it
MS to catch up against.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
For more from News talkst B listen live on air
or online, and
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Keep our shows with you wherever you go with our
podcasts on iHeartRadio
How did the tactics start all the way back to
two thousand and eight and who was on the inaugural board.
Let's go to one of those directors, and I'm talking
about formerly with Avon City Forward. What a fantastic backer
and supporter of netwill I have to say, alongside Scope
Industries as well have been the main stays throughout the years.
(00:21):
But John Luxton, good morning, good evening. Where you are
the tactics all those years ago?
Speaker 2 (00:26):
Well, yeah, a long time ago, is Lehn.
Speaker 3 (00:29):
I was involved a little bit before the am Z
Championship started, so it still the candary Flames.
Speaker 2 (00:33):
Then. I guess what had happened was the competition.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
Had got a little bit straung out and everybody was
struggling for funds and they were looking for better competition
and the opportunity of bringing Australians and that, and there.
Speaker 2 (00:45):
Was a proposal put up to do that.
Speaker 3 (00:47):
That's when we looked at restructuring the team, and I
guess the board changed quite a bit and we had
to look at it in a.
Speaker 2 (00:55):
More commercial way. The initial board had.
Speaker 3 (00:58):
We had people with the Flames, with people like Adrian
Hayes and Ian Hunt, who great contributors and they pretty
much pulled out when the new competition started. So there
was the likes of myself and even neither traced Chambers,
Steve Lancaster, I remember the name.
Speaker 2 (01:15):
Lee was certainly involved.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
Yes, absolutely, very valuable, concribublely did not just an apple cookingness,
the other things as well.
Speaker 2 (01:20):
Absolutely. The biggest challenge back then was sponsorship.
Speaker 3 (01:23):
We had had a number of sponsors with the Flames
that lasted a year maybe two years, but didn't carry on.
When the new championship started, we were lucky enough to
bring Scope on board and that's when we looked at
restructuring and rebranding.
Speaker 1 (01:36):
I think one of the sadness, and I don't want
to be negative on what is such a positive weekend,
but it doesn't seem to me throughout the whole nitball
landscape that there is enough commercial and corporate support. It
just doesn't get It's just asserts. I don't think, given
that more people play nickball than any other sport in
this country, you know it doesn't.
Speaker 3 (01:58):
You never got enough for me, And as generous as
the sponsors were, we could never get enough of them.
We could never get enough money to give it to
make it work. And there were a lot of other
commercial pressures in those days. It soaked up a lot
of money, you know, the top tier, the top team
soaked up a lot of money, and you know, their
interests were in trying to grow the game regionally and
(02:19):
locally and and everything else.
Speaker 2 (02:21):
So it was it was really hard work.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
It was a pretty small pool of players at that stage,
and we were complete competing with with some aarias.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
That had a lot more money than us.
Speaker 3 (02:30):
You know, there were some areas that had licensing trusts
and other various trust and community trusts behind them that
through a lot of money at individual players that we
just couldn't match. You know, I can remember a lot
of those contract negotiations and I was sitting involved in
them with Kevin Eder and Steve Lancaster and others, and
(02:52):
you know, we just raised our eyebrows the sort of
money that was being thrown around.
Speaker 2 (02:56):
Even though there was theoretically a salary cap and other
controls in place, it was very hard to compete.
Speaker 1 (03:04):
I know exactly what you're saying, you know, chucking the
Canterbury earthquakes, how difficult it was to attreat players to come. Look,
I don't want to gloss. Over the ensuing years, it's
been a hard road for the Tactics, and that's why
we are so buoyant and so happy and want to
see this team do well. We don't know really what's
going to happen next year, who's going to be playing.
(03:26):
But this is the Tactic's best opportunity to get that title.
Speaker 3 (03:30):
Well, it's the best the twenty five plus years offen
sponsoring them, it's certainly the best opportunity I have. I
think we might have made the finals or semifinals maybe
three times over that time, and that's in recent years,
so it's pretty hard.
Speaker 2 (03:45):
You mentioned the earthquakes were devastating.
Speaker 3 (03:47):
The earthquakes, it took away all that sponsorship money and
everything else. We had a lot of younger players that
we were trying to support and they moved out of town.
A lot of younger people didn't want to live in
price jets then. So it wasn't the case of trying
to be competitive and then have a good commercial package.
You needed to provide an environment that they wanted to
be in, and that wasn't christ to that state.
Speaker 1 (04:09):
John, Why did you stay involved?
Speaker 2 (04:13):
That's a good question, Museum. I'm not one hundred cent. Sure.
Speaker 3 (04:16):
I mean sometimes you get into these things and it's
hard to get out, And you know, I enjoyed the.
Speaker 2 (04:21):
Company of a lot of the people that were involved.
Speaker 3 (04:23):
There's a lot of good people working really hard to
make it happen. Look, I think the Dominus the Crusaders
should have made it hard to because they sucked every
last so that they were first on the list for everybody,
a sponsorship, everything else, so we really only dealt with
the scraps, and it just it just felt like that I.
Speaker 2 (04:41):
Thought they deserved more. They just they deserved more. They
should have had better and it was really hard.
Speaker 3 (04:46):
And I mean a lot of those girls, I mean
if you look at the early days with the La
Mina datas and the Julie Seymour's.
Speaker 2 (04:51):
And all like that, I mean they had to work.
Speaker 3 (04:53):
They were working full time and still managing playing netball,
and a lot of them had young families.
Speaker 2 (04:59):
It was tough, and I thought they deserved a better chance.
Speaker 1 (05:01):
And I love all hung in there. One way or another.
We see them in different roles in the game that
they love so much. But yes, are you quietly confident
even though you're miles away, are you quietly confident that
our tactics can deal to the mystics.
Speaker 2 (05:17):
Oh, absolutely, no question about it. Absolutely. I'll just send
a few messages to various people, but just all the best.
We're sitting.
Speaker 3 (05:25):
I'll be sitting here in Malta at the moment, and
I'll serddenly be finding a way to tune in and
watch and find out how it goes, and I'll be
celebrating along with everybody else.
Speaker 1 (05:37):
Fantastic. It's brilliant to catch up with you, John, And
I know that Richard Burns, who's the deal of principal
now at av and city Ford, continues the support that
you started for the tactics. And how good is that?
Speaker 3 (05:48):
No, that's great now, Richard's been really supportive. He's come
on board, got a couple of young girls himself that
will probably hopefully play netble one day. So it's a
fingers crossed but I know Richard he's watching on with
real interest.
Speaker 1 (06:00):
Well, John, you enjoy the match if you can get
to see it. In the meantime, stay safe where you
enjoy and thank you all.
Speaker 3 (06:08):
Right, Take take here, Lizy loved and talk to it
MS to catch up against.
Speaker 2 (06:12):
For more from News talkst B listen live on air
or online, and
Speaker 1 (06:16):
Keep our shows with you wherever you go with our
podcasts on iHeartRadio
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