Repressing the Dream
Top school denies students a shot at a National Title.
March 2016: Is it right for a top public school to repress the dreams of it’s students? Is this what is happening right now at Auckland Grammar School? You be the judge…
Sam, Denny and Rob are students at Auckland Grammar. They’re also part of the Auckland Mens futsal team which won the national championship last year, and were core members of the Youth team which came 2nd in NZ in 2015 against competition 2-3 years older than they were.
There is one more title they dreamed of chasing, and that was the Secondary Schools Futsal Championships which are held in April every year. With such a heavyweight line-up the Grammar Team had a strong chance of lifting the national crown this year, but in a bizarre decision the Headmaster has denied the futsal team entry to the competition.
When asked for comment, the HM said their application was rejected because they didn’t ask in time. Also because they don’t play in a recognized league, and because there was no master in charge of the sport. But the boys affirmed their interest as soon as school commenced this year - not so much asking permission as clarifying protocol - a full two months prior to the tournament. And as far as historical competition goes, this was to be their fifth consecutive showing, and they are incumbent in competitive Auckland futsal leagues (finalists in last year’s Youth league, and currently second in the Premier League - see image below.)
The New Zealand Football Federation weighed in on the schools decision with Futsal Development Officer, Dave Payne, saying “surely if there is a team of keen teenagers that fit the criteria that want to participate in a sport that they are passionate about and parents are in a position to fund and organise there must be a solution”.
The father of two of the boys, John Twigg, who managed the team last year, is bemused by this decision. “The school has rules in place to protect their reputation and their kids – I get that. But this decision is just mean. Grammar is well respected at this event, by players and officials. It seems the headmaster has ignored all pleas - even from the national body - in an officious attempt to uphold some obscure rule.”
So did the school simply forget about the Futsal team, and then refuse to make good on their oversight? Or did they consciously decide to block futsal knowing they’d be crushing the dreams of their own students? Is management being callous and oppressive, or are they showing reckless disregard for a sport which they clearly deem unimportant?
Whatever the motives, the school administration seems to be tearing at the fabric upon which Grammar was founded, of altruism, honour and building better men.
Post Script: The boys never did get to go to the Secondary Schools Nationals. But they did go on to lift the crown at the NZF U19 Nationals. and they’ve started their 2016 premier league campaign well, playing for their new federation (who were last in 2016) and who held the reigning championship team to two draws. Had they had a crack at the NZSS title, they’d almost certainly hold the Futsal Triple Crown - School, Youth and Senior titles.