Sports brings positive changes to Tokarara

ORGANISERS of the Heagi Teune competition in Tokarara are appealing to businesses organisations to ensure the competition is maintained because it has brought a lot positive changes to the area.
The competition is having its second round of playoffs before the elimination finals.
There are 12 clubs – six men’s playing touch footy and six women’s taking part in soccer.
The clubs are Raga Dogs, Drainside Hills, MC Panthers, Sumunda Rats, F Roosters, Rakatani Eagles, Nego Storms, SAO Knights, Teune Spiders, Web Trackers, O Tigers and HS Rabbitohs.
The competition held every weekend, has created a lot of interest from the residents in the Tokarara and Hohola areas.
There also players from Morata and 6-Mile participating in the competition.
A spokesman for the organising committee, Thomas Marinae said the NCDC sports desk had launched the competition but there was no financial support coming from their end.
The competition had to depend on club registration and player registration fees.
A resident and mother Sama Arua told The National that since the competition began this year, there had been a decline in alcohol consumption and other social problems.
Arua said strict rules and fines had been imposed on players and clubs for offences relating to playing under the influence of alcohol, homebrew and offensive behaviour or verbal abuse.
As a result, she said youths and residents in the area were practising positive attitudes to avoid being fined or have their points deducted.
The competition has also provided economic activity for mothers and girls in the community by selling their produce and make a living for themselves, Arua said.
She added the community had taken ownership of the competition and businesses should support it.