Kelly Rolleston – A Lion in Italy, Former Pro Athlete, Coach, Physical Activity Fun Fanatic.

In this pod I catch up with Kelly Rolleston (Ngā Rauru & Ngāti Ruanui) who joins me from his family’s home in Piacenza, a town of just over 100,000 people in northern Italy, about 70km from Milan.

Kelly whakapapas to Taranaki iwi and on his father’s side, his grandmother – Hinemoerangi Tumaroroa – was the granddaughter of the Māori spiritual and political leader Tahupōtiki Wiremu Rātana, founder of the Rātana movement.

A hard-running rugby fullback who played for the Wellington Lions from 1992 to 1996, Kelly left NZ in’ 96 and went on to play professionally in Italy and France. We look at the origins of Kelly’s love of sport and physical activity which he gratefully acknowledges was largely orchestrated by his Mum, determined that her son have strong and positive roles models after Kelly’s Dad died when he was just two.

We touch on Kelly’s lifelong love of sport, his pro athlete and then coaching career, the ‘sliding door’ moments that led to his career path taking the direction that it did, and his reflections on hitting that existential moment of asking ‘what do I actually want to do with my life?’. Our conversation tracks across the vital role of sport and physical activity to keep healthy and happy, Kelly’s non-negotiable and lived experience that sport should be fun, and his work now as Italy’s Master Franchisee of Little Kickers – an international franchise introducing football and the benefits of sport and physical activity to a legion of youngsters across his adopted country. Lastly we touch on the subject of identity and culture, with Kelly talking about the values at the heart of everything he does now, living proudly across three cultures – Māori, Pākehā, and Italian.

A huge thanks to Kelly for joining me on Kiwi Flees. Another awesome Kiwi impacting positively on the world. Kelly’s contact details include: email info@littlekickers.it; or click here for Little Kickers (Italy) franchising info.

On behalf of OFNZ, thank you so much for listening and sharing the pod.

My huge thanks to the Kiwi Flees for candid conversations, to my sound-meister Robbie and the team at Matrix Digital (Wgtn), and to Kea for promoting the pod.

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