Logan Park Football had its ups and downs again in 2021.

Both boy’s and girl’s senior teams did not get to experience the Linwood Tournaments again this year which was the most frustrating part of the Logan Park season. We have always enjoyed being part of that tournament. We are hoping for the best next year. 

We did get a chance to showcase our football skills at the annual Co-Ed football tournament. At this tournament, our senior boys felt the pressure, winning the last 3 competitions. In the final, we played Kavanagh, our main rivals of this competition. After the final whistle, with scores tied, we entered into the penalty shootout. Unfortunately, we lacked composure under the pressure and lost to a great team. The boys were gutted, but left everything on the field. The girls…. 

In the school league our senior boys once again competed in the reserve division, the division below the premier grade. After taking out the competition last year, we aimed to do the same again this year. We did just that, remaining undefeated for all of our games and winning the competition for the second year running. We had some real football talent amongst our ranks, most notably our year 13’s Harry Major, Marcus Read and Ben Devereux who will be missed for their skill but admired for their leadership. 

Our junior boys this year entered the top division which is something Logan Park has not done for a long time. We struggled at times to make strings of passes and find the back of the net, but it was a real plus to see one of Logan Park’s best intakes of year 9’s for some time to hold their own against some of Dunedin’s best. Well done to those Year 9 boys, and we look forward to seeing you progress into next year. Our Junior B’s battled away in the lower division, never giving up in games. Thank you for your efforts boys. Our girls….

The team had a great first half of the season and earned three wins and one draw, and was sitting in the top four of their division after 7 rounds. Lockdown abruptly ended the season soon after. The weather unfortunately limited our training sessions also, but we were able to make use of the school's new artificial turf - a great resource! The team also enjoyed a long trip down to Balclutha together which was worth the Justin Bieber sing-a-longs and traffic delays, as they came away with a hard-fought win.

The girls represented Logan Park in the Dunedin CoEd School's Tournament. At the tournament, the team played three games earning the third-place spot. I couldn't be prouder of the determination, passion and positivity the team displayed each time they played.

There has been a huge improvement in all of our players over the course of the season; Simdi Adam continuing her role as Goal Keeper and making some incredible saves; Indi Kelly in a central midfielder role scoring goals from outside the box; Chloe Robinson solidifying her defensive skills. I can’t wait to see the team back in action next year.

A number of our players compete at club level and put in a huge amount of effort in their divisions. A special mention to our team's attacking players Tsugumi Parks Watanabe and Leilani Baeumer whose club team finished third in the Otago Women's Competition, alongside fellow LPHS student Naomi Jutel.

Also a huge thank you to Sandy Gorman who helped coach the team, all our fantastic supporters at each game and LPHS student Marcus Read who reffed our home games!

Thank you girls for all your efforts and passion this year!