“They say that you can take Logan Park out of futsal, but you can never take the futsal out of Logan Parkers” (Mr Govan, 2019)

On an often wet and windy Tuesday or Thursday evening, a sea of maroon descended on the congested and bustling Edgar Centre Arena. In total this year, 92 junior and senior students participated in competition futsal, which is close to 15% of the school. And while our results have been mixed, our numbers have continued to grow with enjoyment levels also on the rise. The junior girls have been capably coached by Craig Smart and Ms Marshall this year, with Craig having this to say about our Junior A girls:

“Upon arriving for the first game to watching there last the differences were incredible.

From staring at the ground and running 100mile/hr to ball control and slick passing, and scoring some fantastic goals that the girls should be very proud of as they wouldn’t be out of place in any futsal team. The growth from individual to team across the short time was amazing being the only team to take a point of the eventual winners who sported a NZ age group rep. Congrats girls it was a pleasure to have coached you!”

And Ms Marshall:

“The Junior Girl's Futsal was an exciting competition this year. We had 13 players in the Junior B and C teams, with some new to the sport. The girls showed passion and determination every game and always came off the court smiling. The transition back to futsal after the winter football led to plenty of laughs as the ball went flying down the court. From Term 1 to Term 4, the girls have all improved their passing skills and use of strategies.

Our Junior Boys Futsal is always well attended and the Junior A Boys this year were lucky enough to be led by Amasio Jutel and Matthew Cowles, who has this to say about their year:

“As a group of year 9s who had just taken the step up to high school futsal, playing against the best year 10 teams in Dunedin proved highly difficult, with us finishing 5th in the division in Term 1. The team stayed together across the two terms, improving at a rapid rate. In Term 4, we finished 3rd in the division, only just missing out on the final. Our final game was played against the JMC first team, who we beat 5-1, the goals coming from a third hat trick of the term for Walid and yet another brace of goals from Alex. Our MVP across the two terms of futsal was Nikau Edmond-Smaill, who was a consistent starter. He always looked the most composed on the court, always knowing the right decision to make. Our Most Improved was Felix Telfer, he started as a squad player in Term One, our first off the bench, able to play wherever he was needed. In Term 4, Felix became one of our most crucial players, who in our final game, was a vital part of our defensive stability”

The three remaining junior boy’s teams maintained a huge effort throughout the year, seeing vast improvements in team work, but unfortunately no more trophies were collected. Our seniors had some success throughout the year; in particular, our Senior A girls won the Division Two competition with help from some very promising junior students. Our Senior A Boys team has come a long way since the junior school, working out how to play structured futsal and attending the National Tournament at the beginning of the year. Special mentions to the Yeardley boys, Amasio Jutel, Matthew Cowles, Ben Devereux, Harry Major, and Lucas Reid for their efforts in the team and continued support of junior teams. A huge thank you from us at Logan Park for all the support of the parents for getting uniforms right, giving other students rides, and supporting the school. I look forward to another year next year with even more senior coaches coming to help. Thanks again.