News & Updates

A family walking initiative organised by the clubs has helped bolster engagement with the South Auckland athletics community during lockdown.

The brainchild of Papakura AC President Eric Sila with the backing of his equivalent Nicky Latu of Papatoetoe AC the pair launched a 3km family walk last month.

And such was the success of the initiative, the following weekend a 5km family walk was introduced to encompass club members across not just the Papakura and Papatoetoe clubs but also Waiuku AC, Mangere Otahuhu AC and Manurewa AC.

“We noticed at Papakura it was hard for the kids during lockdown because they were missing clubs nights and regular coaching sessions,” explains Eric.

“We thought it was important to engage and help motivate them to try something different. Originally we thought of an individual walk, but then we thought why don’t we form a family walk to also get the parents and siblings involved. This offered a chance for everyone in the family to get out in the fresh air and enjoy some quality time together.

“After the 3km week we thought why not invite our brothers and sisters from the other clubs across Counties Manukau.”

The families were asked to complete the walk within a 12-hour period and take a screen shot of their distance covered. They then took a family selfie, placed a comment on the events page and tagged in their club. Spot prizes were also offered.

In total more than 55 South Auckland families completed the challenge, totally around 200 people.

Eric plans to roll out further initiatives in the coming weeks and is considering a scavenger hunt or possibly a dress-up themed walk.

However, he looks backs with satisfaction on the family walks which acted as a big lift for participants during a challenging period for many.

“It was definitely a success,” he adds. “We knew because kids (in Auckland) are currently unable to do organised sport making that community connection was important. It was uplifting to see all those smiles on every family member who participated.”