Haydn Jones: Volunteer coach on the positives of volunteering for community sport clubs

Volunteer numbers at grassroots and community sport clubs around the country are dwindling rapidly, with clubs having fewer than half the volunteers they had five years ago. 

It comes as the levels of referee abuse and disorderly behaviour on the sidelines rises, with volunteers facing abuse and vitriol from the public. 

However, there are still positives to getting involved – volunteer coach Haydn Jones joining Jack Tame for a chat about the pros of giving your time to a local team.  

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from News Talks at b Right.

Speaker 2 (00:13):
Oh, thank you for your text, Colin says Jack, You're
so right, Jack, regarding your comments on COVID, As far
as I'm concerned, the media did an awful job. Look,
I don't think anyone did a perfect job, any any
kind of institution. I think the media is kind of
a broad descriptor for us, but any institution did a
perfect job. I think the media largely did a good job,

(00:35):
but I think there are lessons for us as well.
And that's why I say I think I think for
next time, we just it's very difficult. But trying to
find a respectful, appropriate platform for descending views to be
heard and to be aired, I think is vital. And
I think the media plays a really important role in that.
Ninety two ninety two. If you want to send us

(00:55):
a message this morning, it's eighteen minutes past nine. Hayden
Jones is pitch side this morning. He is coaching his
son's football team. Just paying us a picture, hater, Well,
it's a.

Speaker 3 (01:06):
Tough game from Boys High under fifteen Derby. It's black
versus white. Okay, it's orange yep, yes, are supporting black
or oral. We're black. We're coaching black at Okay, right, yeah,
so we've had a good season. I think in regards
to that last tixture, it's not the media's fault. It's
just your hot jets.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
Everything's my fault.

Speaker 3 (01:29):
How have you been as I live in it's been
a few.

Speaker 2 (01:31):
Years and it has it's great to it's great to
hear your voice. It's been far too long. Heavn Meliner
is taking a well earned break and thankfully, well yeah,
and thankfully when you're just the man to call, although
obviously you are pretty busy on Saturday mornings because you
you're a coach, right, yes, yeah, right, okay.

Speaker 3 (01:51):
Just about to make a sub. Oh okay, hold on
good day.

Speaker 2 (01:56):
Good day, Yeah, very good. No, that's right. So something's
taken your your You piqued your interest this week and
picked your concern rather, I mean when you were there
giving up your time supporting your son's team. But it
turns out a whole lot fewer Kiwis are supporting their
local sports clubs and just a couple of years ago.

Speaker 3 (02:16):
Yeah, I find that amazing and like baffling and troubling
kid sports clubs, fishing, small communities that you know, they're
the fabric of our community. They keep us all together
and they're the hub. So and a lot of them
as you see these days you go from club to club.
They are you know, run and managed by the one
or two hard working, passionate people. And I don't know,

(02:36):
people say that busy. Don't know. They say, oh, I'm busy,
I've got work life once this sort of thing. But
if we just took maybe you know, twenty percent less
time scrolling Instagram, we would have that time in our
lives to donate. And it is it's not even giving
your time because it's so much fun. Especially I don't know.
I guess my passion moment is coaching kids' sport. Like
as a parent, you've got to get your kids to

(02:57):
this game anyway. I've got to be quiet. For got
a lot of parents beside me on the sideline, But
you've got to take you kid to the game anyway.
You got to get their boots. I like, you've gone
ninety I've seen the way you're on the sideline. You've
just got to do the extra five, just walk two
meters forward and then just yell occasionally it's not hurting cad. Yeah,
you don't need to know anything about the game you're
coaching at the middle age. You just got to get

(03:19):
them there and make it fun. Give them some inches
at halftime. Yeah, and whatever you don't know, YouTube will provide.

Speaker 2 (03:24):
I think that's such a good message. So they reckon that.
Compared to five years ago, clubs in New Zealand have
less than half the number of volunteers they had, which
is crazy. I suppose that COVID probably has played some
role in that. But like you say, you know, for
parents who are going to support their kids at the weekend,
you're there. Anyway, You've made that, You've made the effort.

(03:45):
You just have to go that one step further. But
but how do you find it hater? Because I know that,
having having been on a football per a few times
over the go no, no, this is that. That answers
my question. I was going to say, how like describe
your coaching style to us, How are you as a
sideline parent?

Speaker 3 (04:01):
Oh? Well, have you seen kid less? I'm a bit
of a tid less A huge give. I think it
depends on the age, but I've got the moment coaching
fourteen and fifteen year old boys. So I do I
do give them the old hair dryer now and again
right here drawer a football term for you know, give
them a bit of a rack up. Yeah, while we
showed up this morning and we've got to get the

(04:21):
nets out and put them up. And there's like, you know,
fifteen boys sitting there and not doing anything for ten
minutes while the two boys put the nets up, and
so you know, you've just got to generally remind them
that the game doesn't start until the nets run. So
you know, we've all got to work together. Yeah, but
I think I think for pearings, coaching kids is actually,
as we secret, it's actually a great way to figure

(04:42):
out who your son or daughter is hanging out with
because you get to spend a whole lot of time.
Because they will go to school and you don't see
them much, you know, see them lunchtime. You don't really
know what's going on at school. But by coaching a team,
you get to know all the personalities of all their
buddies and you kind of figure out who's coming home
for playdates and who's not.

Speaker 2 (04:57):
Yeah, that's a really good point. Actually, Yeah, you can
because you sort of see you learn a lot about
character on a sports ar a lot about character, and
all of a sudden you can go, you know what,
I want my kid hanging out a little bit more
with this one and maybe a little bit less with
this one. Yeah, I'm sure that everyone and team blake

(05:18):
for New Plymouth Boys highs and credit of the absolute
highest character standards possible. But you know what I mean, Ah.

Speaker 3 (05:24):
They're great. They're great characters. Then you really get to
know and you give them lots of grief and they
give it back. Spisi dowt it because I've got more robust.
I've also been managing slash coaching. My daughter's the second
or even at Sacred Heart Girls College, and that's like
sixteen and seventeen year old girls. I don't have the
instruction menu for that. But I've found they also love
a bit of joshing. If you pick up a hockey
stick sometimes and give them a little tap in the
back of the league. You know, I just have fun

(05:45):
with them. They're really into it and they just they
just love to play. It's the same sort of thing.
They just want to get started, to get going, chase
a ball and have fun. You know, there is that
like the forty year old boys I've got now, I
think three quarters of them think they're going to make
you a white or at least the English Premier League. Yeah,
so that's great, but I think by sixteen and seventeen
they're realistic and they really love Thomas their friends. It's

(06:08):
a good day out. You go down the straight for
yourself of the metaist theory for some hot chips. I've
got a large array of heat heat lamps with deep
fried assortments, so you know, it's a great day out.

Speaker 2 (06:18):
Yeah, it sounds like so much fun. So half far
through with the game? Half far through the game are we.

Speaker 3 (06:24):
We're coming up to half time? Hold on, Tommy, Tommy,
get on the next break. So I just got to
go and make a sup it rolling the deal. Yeah, Kobe,
Kobe and Central mid very good. Hold on, Yeah, I
can't do it.

Speaker 2 (06:39):
You go and do that. You deal with Kobe. You
go and deal with Kobe, and and and Tommy will
be wishing you the best. Make sure you see me
a text to let us know how the second half goes.
We'll be backing Black all the way.

Speaker 3 (06:49):
Well, I assume the sports depart will be bringing me.

Speaker 2 (06:53):
Score up yeah, yeah, exactly, Yeah, yeah, yeah, that ten
o'clock will have we we'll leave with you and the
Warriors and they're incredible. When last night Kenn and second
a close second. Yeah, all right, good enjoy the game.
We'll catch you again very soon. Hayden Joan's sideline for
us this morning on News Talks. He'd be thank you
so much for your textas morning, Jack. As far as

(07:14):
I'm concerned, the previous government, we're happy to preach at
us every day from the podium of truth. Interesting that
they're not willing to have the same level of scrutiny now,
I mean, I just yeah, I think in principle, decision
makers should be willing to appear before the public, especially
for you know, for big things like this. I would

(07:35):
feel much more strongly if they were refusing to appear
before in public for a COVID inquiry whose terms of
reference began at the start of the pandemic rather than
a year and a half into the pandemic, or you know,
conveniently after an election that excluded the period of which

(07:57):
the COVID response was also being led by another political party.

Speaker 1 (08:01):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, listen live
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the podcast on iHeartRadio