May 05, 2023
Mann tries to soften league threat
Auckland Rugby League has appointed Tongan-Māori league icon Dunne Mann to spearhead its community partnerships initiative.
He says sports like rugby league which have a reputation for being physically rough face challenges attracting rangatahi.
Restricted-weight categories and changes to tackle laws are helping with that perception, but there are ongoing challenges from competing sports, lifestyle changes, or even youth who prefer technology to sport.
“We live in different times with our work-life balance and that thing where the weekend was your time away from work – well that stopped a long time ago. And the digital world is another one that we haven’t ignored – and how Maori and Pasifika are playing a strong lead in that role. So it’s working with the clubs to understand all those environmental things that are going on around them,” Mann says.
He says innovatiions, such as combining with summer sports codes, more 7s style competitions, and making junior grades even safer and more whanau-friendly are all considerations for rugby league’s future.