Basketball New Zealand is pleased to announce that we have signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Sports Chaplaincy New Zealand (SCNZ), ushering in a formal partnership that will see SCNZ help support the mental, emotional and spiritual wellbeing of our athletes and administrators across BBNZ organisations.
SCNZ already provides care, support and wellbeing services through the placement of accredited voluntary sports chaplains with a number of our clubs throughout the country, including NBL teams.
Phil Pawley, National Director of Sports Chaplaincy NZ, says athletes and coaches in teams with a history of sports chaplaincy agree that this is a valuable incentive that supports them both on and off the court, as a team and as individuals.
“It’s really pleasing to formalise our partnership with Basketball New Zealand and build on the good work Sports Chaplains are already doing within teams around the country.
“Life sometimes throws up challenges that can be a bit overwhelming and we find we are in need of some support or simply someone to talk to. People can approach us with the confidence that we are on hand to offer such help and we do so freely and without judgement,” says Pawley.
Sports chaplains provide a range of holistic support services that provide care for the person, including mentoring, life skills development, critical incident response, care and support during bereavement, suicide awareness and prevention, stress management, referrals to professional services and sometimes marriage celebrant duties, as well as pastoral and spiritual care. Chaplains are not counsellors, sports psychologists, coaches, or medical professionals, but act as first responders in a range of ways. The SCNZ model is that this comes at no cost to the club or organisation and is a completely confidential service.
The MoU with SCNZ shows the value that BBNZ places on the holistic care of athletes and administrators, and over the last 10 years SCNZ has developed a strong reputation of providing quality people on-the-ground to deliver such support to some of our topflight teams, including the Sky Sport NZ Breakers.
Inquiries about the placement of a chaplain within the NZ basketball community can be made through the SCNZ website www.sportschaplaincy.co.nz.
