We are delighted to announce that Canoe Slalom New Zealand and more than 50 other sports are set to get a massive boost thanks to a ground-breaking grassroots sport initiative launched today by Sky and Olympian and former America’s Cup sailor Rob Waddell.

We are one of more than 50 National Sports Organisations who have come together to form the New Zealand Sport Collective, led by Rob Waddell, who together will be part of Sky Sport Next, a platform designed to be a launching pad for some of New Zealand’s most popular grassroots sports and rising young talent.

Through Sky Sport Next, we will be able to broadcast free-to-air live streaming of several of our major domestic events during 2020 and 2021, along with thousands of other similar sports events that otherwise wouldn’t make their way to a national platform.

The events – a selection from the Oceania, NZ Open, CSNZ National and NZ Secondary Schools Championships - will be streamed, and highlights packages available, on the Sky Sport Next YouTube channel, with some content broadcast on Sky Sport, Sky’s sport streaming service Sky Sport Now, and Sky’s free-to-air channel Prime.

At the Sky Sport Next launch in Auckland today, Sky NZ Chief Executive Martin Stewart said: “As the Home of Sport in New Zealand, we’re about the whole game, which means all levels of sport – from grassroots to the elite. We’re keen to support all the sports that New Zealanders love to play and watch.

“We understand the importance of a sustainable future for New Zealand sport and are proud to be investing more than $10 million over the next three years to give over 50 Kiwi sports a chance to be seen and to grow. Sky Sport Next is a tangible way we can give back to our communities and support sports and talent that don’t currently get a lot of exposure.

“When Rob approached me with the NZ Sport Collective, after hearing about our efforts in the grassroots sports space, we jumped at the chance to be part of such a ground-breaking initiative. We look forward to working together and making a game-changing impact on the New Zealand sporting community.”

Rob Waddell says: “On behalf of the New Zealand Sport Collective, we are thrilled to be working with Sky on Sky Sport Next. The scale of our collaboration is unprecedented, and many sports that previously had little in the way of funding and exposure will now be seen on New Zealand’s most prominent sports broadcaster. Together we want to inspire more Kiwis to play sport, and work with sports codes to reduce the barriers for young people to participate. It’s an exciting era for New Zealand sport.”

With our growing schools programmes and international success, the timing could not be better for CSNZ, in supporting both our community and performance strategies. The live coverage will provide the platform to showcase our rising stars and also connect the skills of our sport with the hundreds of thousands of recreational paddlers who may want to give the sport a try.

For further information, visit www.sky.co.nz/sky-sport-next

Article added: Thursday 14 November 2019