Since the COVID 19 Pandemic started to affect us all, one of the biggest impacts on myself was the lack of sports, something so key to my lifestyle. Yes, I was able to exercise and keep myself fit, but the excitement, comradery, and everything else that comes with team sports. I have been apart of SAISA teams at OSC for the past five years, so being without it was extremely hard.

Considering that we are still in online school, there is obviously no opportunity for school sports. However, I was informed of an opportunity to join TAFA’s new under 18 football team and jumped at the opportunity. I first did TAFA around six years, but stopped it once commitments increased with school sports. Since then, there are new coaches, and I am happy to be apart of the club again. The training sessions are twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. In addition to that, we have matches scheduled against opposition on Sundays.

LO4 Show commitment to and perseverance in CAS experiences

One of the reasons that this was a great opportunity for me is because of the leadership side of it. I have always been one of, if not the youngest player in my SAISA teams. However in this setting I am a more senior player. This is a good test of my character in terms of leadership skills. There are a lot of both younger, and more inexperienced players on the team, and I have started off our season by trying my best to guide a lot of them. Some of my teammates are extremely skilled but lack playing experience and sharpness due to the long duration of time since many of them have played football. Therefore, it is important that I help many of these players by passing along tips and tricks to help them to succeed. I do not have much experience in a leadership role on a football team, but have captained the OSC team on a few occasions. I hope that this can be an opportunity for me to improve my leadership skills and help others on the team.

LO1 Identify own strengths and develop areas for growth

We started off training this year in a futsal space. This meant we were not able to replicate any game like scenarios, but the confined space meant we were able to work on our first touch and close control. Playing small sided games and drills improved our ability to make space out of nothing. Moving to the outdoor field, we were then able to look at things such as positional awareness and movement. With more space to work with, we were more able to practice patterns of play, build up play, and finishing.

Training Match:

Before we played our first match, it was decided that we would play a game amongst ourselves in preparation. It was important for us to get some experience playing 11 vs 11, and our Coach needed to get an idea of who would be best suited to playing in what position. As played the 60 minute game on a boiling hot Sunday, it was also a test of our fitness and endurance. The first 30 minute half was an exhausting one, with the heat tiring everyone. Coach decided to play me on the left wing in this game, which was the position I first played in SAISA three years ago, and one of my preferred positions. It was not only my first time playing a full match in a while, but it was also my first time playing on the wing for around two years. It took a bit to get rid of the slightly defensive and central tendencies I had adopted when playing in other roles, but I soon found my groove and scored a couple of goals. I had good chemistry and was able to work well with Iason the left back, because we had both also occupied the left flank for the last SAISA that we played. In the second half, Iason and I switched positions, and I was back at left back where I last played a SAISA game in. With fatigue an issue at this point however, I often found myself drifting too far forward and overcommitting on the attack, leaving our defense slightly vulnerable. I prefer playing on the left wing and anticipate that I will play there in the future, but if I am needed to cover at left back I will need to improve my work rate, endurance, and positional awareness.

Overall, this practice match was a good opportunity for all of us to gain some match sharpness, in preparation for our first competitive games in early March. I am looking forward to playing a proper game for the first time in nearly a year.