Boots, balls, rackets and more were donated in their dozens at the start of last week in a mass effort of drumming up sports equipment for the community to get out there and play!

Teaming up with Replay NZ – a charity that connects people with donated new and used sports gear – Sport BOP rallied their staff on Monday and Tuesday to round up any of their unused equipment still in good nick.

“They’re a very active bunch I expect there might be a very wide array of gear,” says Replay NZ’s Denise McLean.

During the last few weeks Sports BOP alongside Bay Venues Limited and Whakatane District Council, have helped Replay NZ place sports donation bins across the Bay of Plenty.

Locations include Whakatāne Aquatic & Leisure Centre, and Tauranga’s Mercury Baypark Arena, Queen Elizabeth Youth Centre, and the Greerton Aquatic & Leisure Centre.

A bit of everything

And this week Sports BOP got the ball rolling with donations – literally. Sports BOP communications team leader Mathew Nash says “a little bit of everything” is needed.

“Footwear, balls, bats, anything that’s not beyond its use.

From there we and Replay can make sure that it finds its way into either a club, organisation, school, anywhere really, where people are demonstrating a need for the equipment.”

Mathew says the cost of living is one of the main barriers that restricts access to sport in the community.

“When it comes to team sports there are fees involved and equipment that needs to be bought that you grow out of very quickly if you’re a certain age,” says Mathew.

Replay NZ also helps us reduce our carbon footprint, says Mathew.

“A lot of the gear and equipment we are delivering to communities wouldn’t necessarily be reusable and would find its way to landfill unless you find it a new home.”

Denise says sports is a big part of connecting communities.

“The physical, social, mental and emotional wellbeing is crucial,” says Denise.

“There’s lifelong skills that you learn from being active or involved in sport like self-reliance, teamwork and just good life skills.”

Denise says once Replay NZ has helped perhaps one area, or a school, or a club “we try to move on and help someone else and share it around”.

Donate! 

So – come on – share the love this week, scrounge up that unused sports gear, and donate it to your nearest Replay NZ bin.

“We’ll make sure it gets into the hands of those that need it,” says Denise.

For more information on where, how and what you can donate visit: https://www.replay.org.nz/