Nationwide search for next Olympic sevens stars launches
Talent scouts are on the lookout for young female athletes with an Olympic dream who want to give sevens ago.
Following on from the success of talent and recruitment programme, ‘Go For Gold’ in 2012, New Zealand Rugby (NZR) will hold 18 Go for Gold trials across the country this month to identify potential athletes for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
NZR High-Performance Sevens Manager, Tony Philp, said the sevens Rio silver medallists included athletes selected from the 2012 programme and he believed there was a lot more untapped talent out there keen to realise an Olympic team in sevens.
“We are looking for young women who have the right attitude and skills for sevens. They don’t have to be currently playing rugby – we can teach them that. We’re looking for speed, power and strength but we’re also looking for athletes who have a strong work ethic, a positive attitude and a drive to learn and train.
“They might be sprinters, netballers, hockey players or powers it doesn’t matter, we are looking for potential,” he said.
Philp said the lure of representing New Zealand at the Olympics was only part of the story. He said sevens offered women the opportunity to be part of a unique sporting family and to have a professional sports career, a rarity in female sports.
“The Black Ferns Sevens travel the world to play sevens. Next year it’s the Sevens World Cup in San Francisco and the Commonwealth games in Queensland as well as the Sevens World Series which takes them to six different countries. It’s a pretty great opportunity for athletes and I’d encourage all young women who think they have what it takes to give it a go.”
Athletes can register at sevensgoforgold.co.nz or turn up on the day.
Go For Gold 2017
| 14 February | 6pm – 8pm | Tauranga | Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre |
| 15 February | 5.30pm – 7.30pm | Gisborne | Lytton High School |
| 16 February | 5.30pm – 7.30pm | Palmerston North | Queen Elizabeth College |
| 18 February | 10am – 12pm | Auckland | One Tree Hill College |
| 18 February | 1pm – 3pm | Auckland | One Tree Hill College |
| 18 February | 10am – 12pm | Wellington | St Patrick’s College, Silverstream |
| 18 February | 1pm – 3pm | Wellington | St Patrick’s College, Silverstream |
| 19 February | 10am – 12pm | North Shore | Rangitoto College |
| 19 February | 1pm – 3pm | North Shore | Rangitoto College |
| 19 February | 10am – 12pm | Cambridge | Avantidrome |
| 19 February | 1pm – 3pm | Cambridge | Avantidrome |
| 21 February | 5.30pm – 7.30pm | Nelson | Waimea College |
| 22 February | 6pm – 8pm | Invercargill | Rugby Park |
| 25 February | 10am – 12pm | Dunedin | Logan Park |
| 25 February | 1pm – 3pm | Dunedin | Logan Park |
| 26 February | 10am – 12pm | Christchurch | NZIS (Middleton field) |
| 26 February | 1pm – 3pm | Christchurch | NZIS (Middleton field) |
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