Wednesday, April 11th 1973

84 Schoolboys Playing Soccer

Ngaruawahia High School Soccer

After two rounds of the internally organised soccer competition at the Ngaruawahia High School, two teams have already shown through.

Eighty-four boys have been organised into six teams and play on a round-robin basis. The following of this soccer by many boys at the school shows the rise in popularity of the sport in the area over recent years. No Saturday morning teams are competing in the Waikato Junior Football competitions because of the lack of adults to supervise. However the local club has entered an under-16 team in the senior grades to compensate. It is also hoped that a Wednesday Tournament can  be raised off the ground as an inter-school activity.

The school team led by Chris Barakat only slightly heads off that of Robert Paul, both teams having two wins, but Chris Barakat’s team did not concede any goals compared with one let through by Paul’s team: both having scored 7 goals.

A great deal of talent has been found in and around Ngaruawahia in the field of soccer and a continued growth of the sport is assured.