2005 Scholarships for Coaches

A record 100 Prime Minister's High Performance Coach Scholarships have been awarded to support New Zealand’s top coaches next year, Sport and Recreation Minister Trevor Mallard announced today.

"The scholarships are a significant resource that ensures professional development opportunities are available for high performance coaches," Trevor Mallard said.

“This government is committed to nurturing sporting excellence in New Zealand and it is encouraging to see coaches recognised for their hard work and vision," Trevor Mallard said.

"Coaches play a critical, and too often criticised, role in the success of our athletes and sports teams. Investing in coaches is a smart way to enhance our top athletes of tomorrow."

The scholarships help New Zealand’s coaches gain the knowledge and experience needed to inspire our potential sporting stars. The programme, in its' fourth year, is administered by SPARC’s high performance network - the New Zealand Academy of Sport.

Nenad Vucinic (Basketball), Gavin Paton (Shooting) and John Hellemans (Triathlon) will each receive scholarships of $50,000, with the remaining 97 scholarships worth up to $10,000 each.

The government has committed over $1 million to the programme this year.

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