Tim Hyde-Smith: CEO of South Canterbury Rugby on their 'Be a Hero: Try Zero' initiative

Ahead of Dry July, Canterbury Rugby teams are being challenged to pick alcohol free alternatives. 

Throughout June, South Canterbury Rugby Football Union is teaming up with Te Whatu Ora, Fire and Emergency, the Police, and South Canterbury Road Safety, asking people to ‘Be a Hero: Try Zero’. 

Club members are being encouraged to choose zero alcohol beverages in an initiative aimed at reducing alcohol related harm in the community and destigmatising zero alcohol choices. 

Tim Hyde-Smith, CEO of South Canterbury Rugby, told Kerre Woodham that it’s all about looking after their players not only in regard to alcohol, but also their mental, emotional, and physical health, as well as supporting them in their relationships. 

He said that whichever club drinks the most zero alcohol beverages will win a tackle mat worth $1,200, plus a pizza shout. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Kerrywood and Morning's podcast from News Talk,
said B.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
Joining me now is Tim Heide Smith, the CEO of
the South Canterbury Rugby Football Union. Very good morning to you.

Speaker 3 (00:18):
Good morning Tim.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
I was just talking about the initiative that you've got
underway in conjunction with the Health New Zealand, Fire and
Emergency New Zealand Police in South Canterbury Road Safety be
a Hero Try zero. We were talking about Andrew Costa
talking about the harm that alcohol causes in the community
and we had an Uber driver saying rugby clubs, that's

(00:41):
where you get the problem. And I said, but you know,
professional players, they know that if they're caught getting fomed
then they're in trouble. He said, no, it's the provincial
rugby clubs where you tend to see the issues. And
then the very next day here you are announcing an
initiative of Be a Hero Try zero.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
Correctly, it's something that we've had on the pipeline for
a number of months now and being working with Greg
from the National Public Health Service down here in Timaru
and so yeah, so we've got a campaign it's all
about what about you and part of it is looking
after our players not only about drinking alcohol but also mentally,

(01:21):
emotionally and physically health and supporting them in their relationships.

Speaker 2 (01:26):
That is such a good initiative. You know, you've got
a captive audience there of young males who are in
all the wrong statistics at this age group.

Speaker 3 (01:37):
Sure. Yeah, And so last night we had our Open
Grade Committee. We launched it to all our clubs who
are really keen to get in behind it. So yeah,
we've got a campaign running over this month and then
culminating on the twentieth of July where we'll have a
draw who's sold or got the most caps of non
alcoholic drinks and then that club will win a tackle mat.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
Oh that's fantastic. And along I mean, I like the
way that joining in with the road safety because I
assume in your district the players have to travel a
fair bit to get to training or to get home
and the idea of drinking and driving has just got
to be drummed in from a very early age. There's
always going to be a safe driver.

Speaker 3 (02:24):
Correct, you know. So we have a number of clubs
out in our provincial towns, so yeah, so we're just
making sure that you know that there's a des that
made a driver amongst them. We've got getting our coaches engaged,
so they're talking and sort of their arts and matches
before they're going into the clubrooms, just about the behaviors
and responsibilities, making sure that's say as I say, they've

(02:44):
got a designated driver.

Speaker 2 (02:46):
Yeah. We hear a lot about about young people being
much more focused on their health and well being, that
they see alcohol as as sort of a boomer type habit,
and that that this is something that they're not getting into.
Is that reflected in the young amongst the young members
of the club. Would you have to be aware of

(03:07):
alcohol at any age?

Speaker 3 (03:09):
I think are we're at any age? That's just being
responsible around it. I agree with you other young son
and they certainly didn't have that culture that maybe that
we didn't when we were growing up.

Speaker 2 (03:19):
Yeah. Yeah. And the fact that there are more options
now we've been discussing them. I mean, some of them
taste like cat's pee that you know, there are some
that are really good acceptable alternatives. The fact that there
are so many alternatives now rather than just your lemonades
or cokes, makes it easier to go dry.

Speaker 3 (03:38):
Correct, And it's sort of now more socially acceptable as well.
Yeah and so, and our clubs have got right and
behind it over the last sort of a year or so,
and it's something that we started to talk about last
year and now we're just implementing the policies right through.
And it's all about, you know, supporting player well being
and not just just the player, but their families as well.

(03:59):
We're very family orientated.

Speaker 2 (04:00):
Yeah, and well, it's families that make the clubs, isn't it.
It's not just the.

Speaker 4 (04:04):
Players, correct, you know, it's the partners, the wives, the kids,
and you know, all the different ethnic groups as well
nowadays as well enjoying our great sport.

Speaker 2 (04:15):
When it comes to the mental health aspect of it all,
men more open. Do you think about talking about feeling
a bit a bit low, a bit a bit down.

Speaker 3 (04:29):
I think I think that's a work on you know.
So certainly, you know, we had a situation last week
where one of our local players passed away and after
a game, and the New Zealand Rugby Foundation got right
in behind and helped the White, White and Manic clubouts.
So we've got professional services that we can tap into,

(04:52):
and Greek from down here as I say from the
Public Health Service. He's been very good and we've linked
with the local pacifica I Reckon Trusters group as well.

Speaker 2 (05:05):
When do you think, you know, the administration of the
club started to look at the holistic well being of
their players rather than just how many tackles they could
put in or how many tries they could score. When
when did you start seeing the players as you know,
being being frail, you know, and and vulnerable and you

(05:28):
know needing.

Speaker 3 (05:30):
Something that I've been involved with club rugby for a
long time. I was up in Auckland, so the college
Rifles and mouse clubs were something that we always talked about.
So I think quietly underneath it's been happening. Just more
lately it's come out into the into the open and
into the public and we talk about it more nowadays,
and I'm.

Speaker 2 (05:47):
Glad you do. It sounds like a wonderful initiative. Good
on your Tim, nice to talk Tim Heide Smith. The
Sea of South Canterbury Rugby Football Union putting on the
be a Hero Try zero campaign throughout the month of
June and involving so many different related organizations. They FATTA,

(06:07):
Water Health, New Zealand Fire and Emergency New Zealand. New
Zealand Police, South Canterbury Road Safety good on them.

Speaker 1 (06:13):
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