Tertiary students from around the country will have the opportunity to experience some of the greatest sports facilities New Zealand has to offer when they travel to Southland for the 2010 University Games in April.
After a rigorous process to determine the best location for the 2010 Games, University Sport New Zealand (USNZ) is excited to announce Southland as the host city for the first time in Uni Games history.
Three outstanding bids for the 2010 Games were submitted to USNZ in August and, after calling for member campuses to express their interest in being involved in the bid process, personnel from two Universities accompanied USNZ staff to the bid cities to meet the proposed Games Consortiums and visit the facilities.
After seeking further information and analysing all three bids, Southland was declared the best option financially, strategically and in the delivery of a quality sports event.
The Southland Consortium pulls together personnel and resources from the key organisations that have built Southland to be the buzzing, vibrant region that it is.
Sport Southland leads the Consortium which includes the Invercargill City Council, Invercargill Licensing Trust, Stadium Southland, Venture Southland and the Southern Institute of Technology. The support of such a strong Consortium to assist in the delivery the 2010 Games was a major factor in the final decision. Given the recent financial performance and current staffing structure of USNZ, it is important to employ all resources available to ensure the delivery of a fantastic Games experience in 2010.
2010 is a particularly important year for USNZ as it transitions into the next phase of the organisation’s Strategic Plan, re-defining the goals and objectives of the organisation. Defining and implementing strategies to support the pathway from the social level through to participation events, and the competitive and then performance aspects of the organisation is crucial to ensure USNZ continues to offer quality sports opportunities to New Zealand’s tertiary students.
And while for some students, it will require travelling nearly the length of the country to attend the Games, Southerners are well accustomed to dealing with their geographical location – an obstacle for many New Zealanders when they seek to travel to the Southland Region. The Southland Consortium have been working closely with local organisations to alleviate some of these concerns and have put in place some fantastic strategies to ensure their geographical location is not a barrier to participation for the 2010 Games.
Laker House of Travel, based in Invercargill, is the 2010 Uni Games Consortium travel partner and will be the main point of contact for Games participants who require assistance in booking their travel to and from Southland. While Invercargill is the main hub of the Games, teams will be offered complimentary bus transfers to the city from Dunedin and Queenstown if they would prefer to fly into and out of these centres. Such strategies are an example of the commitment and passion of the Southland people to deliver the best Uni Games experience yet.
Southland is known for its world class facilities including its major showpiece, Stadium Southland. This outstanding facility will be the hub of the 2010 Games, housing the Games HQ as well as hosting components of the social programme and several sports events including track cycling in the world-class ILT Velodrome.
The Region is also well known for its ability to attract significant events. Previous major sports events held in Invercargill include the NZ Davis Cup, the annual Tour of Southland, NZ Track Cycling Champs, and British Lions Tour, to name a few. In 2009 alone, Southland has hosted international badminton, the Oceania Hockey Tournament and NZ Hockey World Cup qualifiers, an international netball test and the Oceania Championships for Track and Road Cycling.
Superb facilities combined with the passion and dedication of the Southland community provides a perfect base from which USNZ is confident it can deliver a fantastic sporting event in 2010.
The 2010 Uni Games will run from 13 – 16 April. A confirmed list of sports will be available to students in the coming weeks. For more Games information, visit www.universitysport.org.nz and follow the link to www.southlandunigames.co.nz.
