Flavell calls on union to back Maori women's rugby

te-pati-maori

Fri May 28 2010 12:00:00 GMT+1200 (New Zealand Standard Time)

Flavell calls on union to back Maori women's rugby

Friday, 28 May 2010, 9:49 am
Press Release: The Maori Party

MEDIA STATEMENT
Te Ururoa Flavell
Maori Party Sports Spokesperson
May 28, 2010

Flavell calls on union to support Maori women's rugby

The Maori Party is disappointed that the New Zealand Rugby Union is giving no real financial support to the Aotearoa Maori Womens Rugby Sevens so it can compete at Rome next month.

"The union really needs to look at how it not only treats Maori but women," Maori Party sports spokesperson Te Ururoa Flavell said.

"The squad is not a national team but it supplies the national team and it is a travesty that their manager has to mortgage his home to subsidise their travel every time they get invited by other countries to compete overseas.

"Every other rugby-crazed country in the world praise this squad's excellence in the sport but unfortunately that doesn't appear to be getting through to the union.

"By not supporting this team the union has forced them to become beggars and borrowers and that is no way to be treating a side that is developing and nurturing the skills of emerging players so they can represent this country at the 2016 Olympics."

If it can raise enough money, the squad will leave for Rome on May 31 to compete against the best teams in Europe.

ENDS

The squad:
Julie Ferguson (Hawkes Bay) (Captain)
Honey Hireme (Counties)
Rachel Wikeepa (Bay of Plenty)
Chanel Huddleston (Hawkes Bay)
Claire Richardson (Hawkes Bay)
Amy Williams (Hawkes Bay)
Arihiana Marino (Auckland)
Chyna Hohepa (Waikato)
Karley Te Kawa (Counties)
Sarah Goss (Manawatu)

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