Rural School Scores Big with New Sports Court

Agright Operations Manager, Mathew Bryant, marks the occasion with a group of very excited Chertsey pupils. All with a basketball each, because playing a game with just one ball is boring! Amy Riach

Bright blue astroturf and a brand new set of basketballs have made the children of Chertsey School into very proud athletes.

A new, multi-use sports court at Chertsey School was officially opened on May 27, and it’s already making a difference for local pupils, said principal Claire Maria.

“It’s just about really believing that kids in rural communities can have the same, if not better, than kids at other big schools in the city. And I think we really proved that being a rural school is no excuse for not having the facilities that you want your kids to have,” Maria told the Guardian.

The new court, officially opened by Agright operations manager Mathew Bryant, is the latest in a series of improvements at the small rural school, which has a roll of just 37 students.

“When I first started here, we had none of those facilities, we just had an old wooden playground,” Maria said.

“Once we got the first project underway, updating that playground, I realised that it’s just a lot of paperwork and persistence to get funding, and once you find out where you can get that funding from, it really is just about not giving up.”

Officially cutting the ribbon! Agright representative Mathew Bryant, with one of Chertsey's youngest pupils, 5-year-old Aizack.

Maria said the school’s vision has always been centred on ensuring local children have access to quality facilities close to their classrooms.

But the courts will be available to everybody in the community to use, and Maria is “incredibly grateful” to the school board and wider community for backing every stage of the project.

“Our board is 100 per cent behind every project that we do. Everything we do is for the kids, and then the side effect of that is the community gets to use it as well,” she said.

“We hope children and their families will also enjoy using this court after school hours, and that it becomes a place where skills are developed, memories are created, and many hours of fun are shared.”

The idea for the court was inspired in part by Maria’s own son, Tua, and his love of basketball.

Tua spent “countless hours” outside, practising every day, Maria said.

“He was incredibly self-driven, but he also had something else that made a difference. He had access to facilities and opportunities to practice.”

“I remember presenting this idea to the board, and I spoke about my son, how he would practice every day, and this means that kids in Chertsey can come after school and do the same thing,” she said.

“I'll pitch for something, and anyone would think it's going to be in my backyard at home,” she laughed.

“They can feel what I want for our kids, and everyone's completely behind it.”

The whole school, all 37 Chertsey pupils, celebrated the opening of the new school courts with a new waiata, performed to an audience of parents for the first time.

The project began taking shape in the middle of last year, after Maria attended a principals’ conference.

“I thought it was going to be years away!” Maria laughed. “It was just a dream then.”

But soon after, Matthew Bryant of Agright New Zealand, offered the school his support.

“We just really wanted to support the school in some way,” Bryant said. And the new courts were the perfect opportunity.

Agright has committed $5000 annually to the school, to continue until 2030.

“That’s why we’ve honoured them with the logo on the courts,” Maria said. “Although we’ve had lots of different organisations contribute, they’ve pledged continuous support, and that’s so valuable.”

Maria told the Guardian the overwhelming community support had been “very humbling.”

“It’s one thing to come up with an idea, but for your board to approve it, for the community to get behind you, that’s amazing,” she said.

“I think the key is everything’s been student-centred.”

In on the first try! Pupils test out their netball skills, shooting without using the backboards at all.

The new court is already encouraging students to get involved in sport and activity, even those who may not have shown interest before.

“We got a new child two days ago, and one of the first questions we ask our new tamariki is, ‘Do you like sports?’” Maria said.

“This boy said, ‘No, no way.’ Then to watch him out there getting his shots in this morning, and see the smile on his face, was fantastic.”

“It’s just about giving them the opportunity. They might not like basketball or netball at all, but you just don’t know until you give them that chance.”

Maria also wanted students to understand the generosity behind the project.

“For me, days like this are really important for our kids, to know where it comes from,” she said.

“They need to know that without these people, this wouldn’t have been possible.”