Jan22686 Best Sporting League 2023 – New Zealand Xtreme Drivers League is the New Zealand national sports organisation for the high-performance sport of long drive, whereby players compete to see which of them can hit a golf ball the farthest distance. Founded under the IGANZ company banner, the league has gone from strength-to-strength since its inception. Company Founder Olna Ford’s journey can be traced back to 2016, when she began hosting celebrity golf tournaments in order to aid struggling clubs. We have the pleasure of speaking with “The Entrepreneur Queen of Long Drive” Olna Ford, who provides more insight into the league and the business, with both areas serving to drive high performance sport on a worldwide stage. IGANZ aims to be a world-leading sports organisation, expanding the underrated sport of long drive to conquer international markets, in the process creating a new spectator sport that can be enjoyed by people around the world, through its world-class Xtreme Drivers League (XDL). Built on integrity and fair play, the company deals with a host of clients ranging from golfers and keen drivers to sponsors, likewise providing a vast selection of services, with drive training, event management, event organisation, and player management all being in amongst the offerings provided by Olna and her team of passionate experts. With a strong philosophy regarding client service, IGANZ strives to constantly exceed the needs of clientele across every aspect of the business, maintaining its pre-established high-standards and the positive energy that stems from the highperformance environment in which the athletes and staff thrive. Much like the drivers on the XDL grid, IGANZ has a mindset that places emphasis on winning, and this ultimately drives Olna and the team forward in their collective mission to nurture success that will span continents. As XDL’s HQ is based in New Zealand, a country incredibly passionate about sport, the enthusiasm of the company’s staff is intrinsic, a very part of their culture and heritage. New Zealand is also famous for its lush country and quality exports, but the relatively remote location of the island means that there is often a lack of motivated investors or businesses willing to take on an investment opportunity such as the XDL, meaning that the team have to fight even harder to get noticed. The unbridled passion for sport and the zeal of New-Zealanders is sure to result in this goal being carried out to the final step, securing a worldwide audience for the product. None of this would be possible without the hard-working teams of both IGANZ and XDL, with Olna treasuring everybody who works for the company and the league as a “high-performing athlete”, to this end, achieving excellence in everything they set out to do, bolstered by an unparalleled work ethic. These same qualities and skills are sought out when new team members are recruited, with a love for the job and motivation being the two key elements most frequently found in the company’s highest performing staff. There are three particularly noteworthy areas that reinforce the scope of IGANZ and the XDL, cementing its offerings within the sport. The most famous of these is the New Zealand Long Blacks, initially spearheaded by Sam Jones, and otherwise known as “The Originals”. The Long Blacks were formed following the inaugural IGANZ National Long Drive Championship, which took place in 2017, and had the pleasure of having their logo launched on national sports television, much to the delight of the team and its fans. This team is a collection of the fastest and longest hitters the country and the sport have to offer, and they were announced to be taking on the Australian team in late 2017 at the first Trans-Tasman Clash, which took place at Stonecutters Ridge Golf course. The following year, the NZ Long Blacks created history on their home turf, winning the Oct23402 Trans-Tasman Clash at The Kinloch Club, claiming the Darren Wise Stingray trophy. After the competition faced a few years of delays due to bush fires and the global pandemic, New Zealand’s Long Blacks returned with a vengeance, and as a result, are the current back-to-back champions of the competition. It was December 2022 that saw the coveted competition return in full swing, taking place in Port Douglas at the Mirage Country Club. The atmosphere at the event was buzzing, and the New Zealand Long Blacks more than delivered, securing a third-consecutive win against the Australian Long Ballers, garnering the former yet another nomination for a Halberg trophy celebrating the team as bestin-class. With a careful blend of skill and showmanship, the Long Blacks again made history in the sport that year and cemented themselves as the country’s premier team and an integral part of IGANZ and the XDL. The second of these key areas is the IGANZ Women brand, which is proudly diversifying the sport and helping to bring new eyes to the product, as well as increasing participation for women and girls everywhere through the role model behaviour of those athletes who compete and champion the cause. Two of the key women serving to celebrate and pioneer women’s long drive is Captain of Aussie Long Ballers,
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