Awards & Recognition
At TAR, we recognise the players who go above and beyond — in skill, in service, and in the values that make this club what it is. These are the awards you can earn.
Mattheus Van der Lee joined TAR just a month or two after our very first game in August 2009. He was 16 years old, and he played at almost every game day right up until he unexpectedly and tragically passed away on 10th December 2011. When he played, he was always honest — he showed integrity and courage, and he always had a good sense of humour. He was exactly the kind of player and person that TAR is built around. The patch was created in 2013 to honour his memory and to recognise the members of our club who uphold the sportsmanship ideals he set. ASNZ also has a sportsmanship trophy in his memory. If you earn this patch, you carry his name. Wear it well.
You must be a current financial TAR member with at least one full year of membership and a minimum of 12 game days attended. Beyond that, you must be genuinely recognised by your fellow players and the committee as someone who consistently demonstrates the values Mattheus stood for — integrity, honesty, courage, and sportsmanship, on the field and off it. This is not just a participation award. Final approval rests with the Club President.
TAR Leaders are the backbone of every game day. They run safety briefings, induct new players, and make sure everything runs smoothly so everyone can focus on having a great time. If you've got the experience, the attitude, and the commitment to help grow this club, the Leadership Patch is how we recognise that.
You must be 18 or older, a current TAR member, have played at least 12 game days, lead 2 safety briefings, run 2 new-player induction briefings, organise 1 full club day event, and correctly answer 4 out of 5 questions based on club rules. Committee sign-off required at each stage, with final approval from the Club President.
Great game days don't happen by accident. The Engineer Patch recognises the members who show up early, stay late, fix fences, build bunkers, and do the behind-the-scenes work that makes TAR possible. Every working bee you complete also earns you a free field fee credit — because the club looks after those who look after the club.
Complete 3 working bees for the club. Each working bee is logged by the committee and earns you 1 free field fee credit to use at your next game day. The Engineer Patch is awarded automatically once your third working bee is confirmed.
Rookie of the Year
Every great player had a first year. This award goes to the new member who hit the ground running — someone who turned up, played hard, played fair, and made an impression on the whole club right from the start. It's voted on annually by the committee and announced at end of year.
Open to members in their first year with TAR. The committee votes at the end of each year based on attitude, participation, sportsmanship, and the overall impression left on the club. You can't apply for this one — it finds you.
Most Improved Player
This award is for the player who put in the work and it showed. Whether it's their game sense, their accuracy, their teamwork, or their attitude — the Most Improved Player is someone the whole club watched grow throughout the year. Voted on annually by the committee.
Open to all TAR members. The committee votes at the end of each year, looking at the progression shown over the course of the season. Attendance, attitude, skill development, and contribution to the club all factor in.
Sportsman of the Year
TAR is built on integrity — calling your hits, respecting your opponents, and playing the game the right way even when no one's watching. The Sportsman of the Year is the player who best embodied those values over the course of the year. This is the award every member should aspire to.
Open to all TAR members. The committee votes at the end of each year, recognising the player who best demonstrated TAR's core values of fair play, sportsmanship, and respect for all players throughout the season.