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We have been sponsoring Softball NZ (SNZ) to help build world champions since 2014. From the world-beating Golden Homes Black Sox through to the grassroots of the game, over thirty thousand players around the country have directly benefited from our partnership - which has become a model for sports sponsorship everywhere.

This support has enabled Softball NZ to make enormous strides across all areas of this sporting institution. We are the naming rights partner for the Black Sox, and we have also extended our support of emerging talent through partnering with SNZ to establish the Softball New Zealand Centurions Trust - a fund dedicated to backing high achieving male and female U15 & U18 players.

Each year four young players from the Junior White Sox and the Junior Black Sox receive a grant supplied by Golden Homes through the Trust to contribute to their costs of training at this elite level - a boost to families of these young athletes which enables them to spend less time fundraising and more time on the pitch.

Tony Giles, Softball NZ CEO, says the relationship between SNZ and Golden Homes is not merely a financial transaction.

“We are tremendously grateful to Golden Homes for the incredible support they give to the game,” says Giles.

As a small business starting out in the 1990s, Golden Homes were the minnows in a competitive industry. The experiences that they gained in transforming Golden Homes into one of New Zealand's leading home-build companies has been an invaluable asset to Softball NZ.”

Giles believes that the synergy between the path to success of Golden Homes with that of SNZ is what makes their relationship so great.

“We’ve both gone from underdogs to world champs” he says, adding that the morals and ethics of the Golden Homes family business align closely with that of Softball NZ and its many supporters.

Shane Helms, Golden Homes CEO, echoes the sentiments of SNZ. “We are proud supporters of Softball New Zealand. Working alongside them as they continue to set the benchmark for sporting excellence in New Zealand is fantastic for our team and we are delighted to be a part of their incredible journey.”