Supporting the Next Generation: Why Nothing Naughty Chose to Partner with Anamata Sports Academy

At Nothing Naughty, we’ve always believed that performance is about more than what happens in the gym or on the field. It’s about community, connection, opportunity, and supporting pathways for the next generation to thrive.

That’s why, when we were approached by the formidable Taumata Soloman and the team at Anamata Sports Academy, we knew this was something special.

Based at Te Wharekura o Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere in Putaruru, Anamata Sports Academy is the first kura Māori sports academy of its kind in Aotearoa - a high-performance programme designed to develop young athletes while keeping them grounded in culture, education, and identity.

Their vision immediately resonated with us.

This wasn’t simply a request for sponsorship. It was a call to invest in young people who are committed to excellence, discipline, and long-term growth. Young athletes who are being given the tools, mentorship, and environment to reach their full potential without having to leave their community behind.

And that matters.

Backing More Than Sport

Anamata Sports Academy is doing something genuinely unique.

From 40 nominated students, only 20 athletes were selected into the programme. These students balance academic learning with dedicated high-performance training, strength development, conditioning, speed work, recovery education, and leadership development.

What stood out to us most was the intention behind it all.

This programme isn’t just focused on creating better athletes. It’s focused on creating resilient, grounded, disciplined young people. The academy combines elite-level coaching and structured performance pathways with a deep commitment to hauora, culture, and education.

That alignment with wellbeing and long-term development is something we care deeply about at Nothing Naughty.

Keeping Talent in the Region

As a Waikato-based business, we’re passionate about supporting our local communities and creating opportunities close to home.

Too often, talented young athletes feel like they need to leave their town to access high-performance environments, quality support systems, or pathways to success. What Anamata Sports Academy is building challenges that idea entirely.

They’re proving that world-class development can happen right here and within a kura Māori setting, surrounded by community, culture, and whānau. We believe that’s incredibly important.

What the Academy is doing to creating futures where young people can stay connected to where they come from while still chasing big goals.

If we can play even a small role in helping keep talented rangatahi thriving in our region, then that’s a partnership worth investing in.

Why We Said Yes

At Nothing Naughty, partnerships have to mean something.

We don’t simply look for visibility or logos on uniforms. We look for organisations that share our values of authenticity, well-being, education, and long-term impact. We truly believe that Anamata Sports Academy embodies all of those things.

Their approach to supplementation is thoughtful, structured, and athlete-focused. Everything is supervised, age-appropriate, performance-driven, and aligned with athlete well-being. That responsibility and care gave us confidence that this partnership was the right fit.

We’re proud to support Anamata Sports Academy as they continue building a pioneering programme for young athletes in Aotearoa.

Looking Ahead

This partnership is about more than supplements.

It’s about investing in potential, it’s about supporting leadership and it’s about backing a vision that keeps culture, community, and excellence connected.

Most importantly, it’s about supporting a generation of young people who are working hard to become the best versions of themselves  both on and off the field.

Ngā mihi to Taumata Soloman, Te Wharekura o Te Kaokaoroa o Pātetere, and everyone involved in Anamata Sports Academy. Also a special thanks to Joe Webber and Jeremy Siulepa for sharing their talents too. We can’t wait to see what these athletes achieve in the years ahead.