After kicking a ball around for 13 years the original members of the Sea Stars are hanging up their football boots.
It’s not because they want to, but the team is in their final year at Raglan Area School and will be heading off to university and jobs.
Having formed such a close bond, the girls are feeling sad about the team disbanding.
“There’s been a core of five to six of us who have played the whole time, since first kicks. We had Maria leave two years ago, and there are younger players who will continue playing,” Meila Clarke says.
The girls know each other so well they can almost communicate telepathically on the field.
“We are so familiar with each other and we know each other’s strengths,” Star Knuiman says.
“And we can talk to each other in a constructive way and we know it’s coming from a good place,” Lani Frazerhurst adds.
The strength of their connection on the field has seen them shoot to the top of the second division for the past two years, and they’ve tucked a few tournaments under their belts over the years.
“We’ve won five a side, two or three times. When we were under-12, we went undefeated and it happened again last year,” Lani says.
They also put their success and the strength of the team down to the closeness they have had with their coaches.
As with most children’s sports the coaches were also parents; current coach Marcus Hodgkinson, whose daughter Molly is one of the original players, Kristi Daniel whose daughter Matta played, Jordan Mooar roped in her dad Aaron, and Luca Grilli who coached until his daughter Maria left school.
“They were the best bunch of girls any coach could have asked for. They listened, committed themselves, played hard but fair, and had respect for each other and myself, and most of all they had fun,” Luca says. “They dominated the top division in their prospective age group for most of their time in the club, and are probably still Raglan’s most successful football team. Their success wasn’t the most important thing for me; seeing them grow and develop as kids and football players was the highlight of the time I had with them.”
“The support of whānau and the wider community has played a big part in the Sea Stars’ success,” Marcus says. “They are an awesome team to coach and it’s been awesome to watch them grow and develop over the years. I hope their story inspires other kids to keep playing sports.”
And while the original players who began chasing a ball around the Papahua football fields all those years ago move on to ‘adulting’, the next generation of Sea Stars are ready to follow in their teammates’ footsteps.
“It really would not have been possible to have played so many seasons together without the endless support of all our parents, amazing coaches over the years and Jo Clarke for managing us all. We are so grateful for them,” Lani says. “I’m excited to see the next generation of young female football players in Raglan, and I hope they find the same strong bonds and support in their teammates that we’ve all experienced. I wish them all the best of luck for their ongoing seasons.”
by Janine Jackson
