Enjoyment is top priority

Press, 29 February 1984, Page 37

Enjoyment is top priority

Enjoyment and instruction in the fundamentals should be the prime concerns of those involved in junior rugby league, according to Brian Evans, the chairman of the Canterbury schoolboy board of control. Although there will invariably be an element of competitiveness — not a bad thing if no undue pressure is exerted on youngsters — emphasis should be directed towards developing skills and team-work. Overseas studies have shown that youngsters con-

sider playing and enjoyment to be more important than victory, that they would rather be part of a losing side than a perennial reserve in a winning “It is felt that too much pressure is put on players to win, especially in the lower grades,” said Mr Evans. An Australian report of 11 years ago laid the ground rules. The “aims” it lists are to gain interest and attention of young footballers, to teach them skills, to develop an ability to participate in team sport (sharing, helping, co-operation) and to pre-

mote personality and physique. “Needs” include active, short lessons, encouragement (no fear of failure), and competitive emphasis on playing, trying and, in capital letters, enjoying. Administrators and coaches are warned to avoid a win-at-all-cost attitude, yelling, pushing or berating of players, and the lure of expensive prizes. The introduction of “MiniFooty” for players under 10 years of age in Canterbury this year is intended to increase the attraction of rugby league for those just starting out in sport, and to their parents. Mr Evans said that his officials would also continue to be severe on any instances of illegal or foul play. The schoolboy board of control in Canterbury is responsible for the grades between eight-years and 16years, which last season totalled 1650 players. The deadline for age restrictions is January 1 — if a boy was born in 1974 he would be in the 10-years division in 1984. In recent years, after many disappointments, rugby league has also gained acceptance in a number of high schools in Canterbury and mid-week fixtures are held for the Ham Cup. Officials are hoping that numbers will increase in the light of the outstanding performances of the New Zea-

land and New Zealand Maoris teams last year. Representative football is available in all grades, and the code was ahead of all others in establishing a national tournament for senior schoolboys soon after the Second World War. The New Zealand Rugby League Schoolboy Council, to which Canterbury is affiliated, arranges regular reciprocal tours with Ausralia. It is the turn of the Australians to visit this country in August, and the itinerary provides for games with South Island and New Zealand schoolboys in Christchurch. Zone contests are held at 13-years level, and Canterbury will meet West Coast, Wellington, Taranaki and possibly Manawatu and Otago-Southland in Christchurch during Queen’s Birthday week-end. A Canterbury invitation 11-years side is to play Toowoomba District (Queensland) in late June and other inter-provin-cial games could be curtainraisers to British tour matches. Quite a number of prominent referees also began their careers in the schoolboy grades, and opengrade players have long found controlling schoolboy games to be a useful means of preparing for their own afternoon matches. Invariably, though, there are shortages of referees and the “junior whistlers” welcome new members.