THE HONOURABLE MINISTER FOR YOUTH AND SPORTS
MR LAISENIA TUITUBOU
Address at the Launch of Dee Cee’s Nadera Panthers Official Team Attire at Nadera Grounds, Nadera on Friday 06th May at 2.00pm.
• The Chairman of the Nadera Panthers Rugby League Club;
• President of Nadera Panthers Rugby League Club;
• Board members of the Nadera Panthers Rugby League Club;
• Sponsors & Supporters;
• Players, Ladies and Gentlemen
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Ni sa bula vinaka and a very good afternoon to you all.
I am indeed delighted to be here to officiate at today’s launching of the 2016 official attire for the Dee Cee’s Nadera Panthers Rugby League club.
As you prepare to don this official team attire, you also prepare yourselves for a few very significant things that participating in sports teaches a person. These are qualities embedded in the whole sporting spectrum that of team work, adherence to rules and good sportsmanship. I wish to remind you of a few more qualities that should fuel your ambition to become the best in your sport.
It takes drive. You have to be driven to improve every day. You can't be satisfied with your last performance. It takes discipline. You have to be disciplined as you may have to follow a strict exercise and eating schedule. It takes competitiveness. You have to be competitive and have that undeniable feeling to want to beat your competitors. It takes self-confidence. You have to be confident in yourself and believe that you're a winner. It takes aggressiveness. You have to make moves on your own, not just respond to what other teams do. It takes focus. You have to be able to focus on the task at hand and tune out any other distractions. It takes commitment. You have to be committed to your sport. You have to give up other hobbies and interests and that is a true testament of how much you are willing to go for your sport. It takes good time management. You have to be able to manage your time well. You train for hours and hours each day, on top of work and spending time with friends and family. It takes some amount of raw talent. You have to be naturally talented at your sport. This is something that certain people are just born with. It takes determination. You have to be determined. You can't give up, no matter how hard it seems. When you lose a match or miss a goal, you have to get right back up and try again. It takes a high tolerance for pain. You have to be able to put up with a lot of pain, from pushing your body to its limits. It takes adaptability. You have to be able to adapt to different situations and new information quickly. It takes emotional maturity. You have to be in control of your emotions. You can't let yourself get too nervous, too angry or too depressed, etc. These are some fundamental aspects which you should remember as you gear towards the 2016 Fiji National Rugby League season.
So today’s launch is a stepping stone for your Rugby League club. Therefore, aim higher than what you managed to achieve from previous seasons and endeavour to get it.
Sports as you can all attest to is an effective tool for development and this can be witnessed also by the people who live in the vicinity of Nadera and its surrounding areas as I am sure that this was envisioned when the club was founded. I urge you to continue using sport as an impetus for the social and economic development of your community because your grassroots communities will reap its rewards.
Before I conclude, I want to thank the sponsors Dee Cee’s Buses Limited for their support throughout the years. It has indeed provided these youngsters with the ambition to continue fervently with their sport and for that you have my gratitude.
With those few words, it gives me much pleasure to officially launch the Dee Cee’s Nadera Panthers Rugby League Official Team Attire for the 2016 FNRL Competition.
May this launching today signal a marvellous year for the Nadera Panthers.
Thank you and vinaka vakalevu