A pair of shiny new football goals have recently graced the field at rural Netherton School, thanks to the hard work of one of its students.
Head student Harry Powell spent the beginning of the year planning and fundraising to achieve his dream of having ‘proper’ football goals at the school.
The first step was presenting his idea to the school board and his principal, Brook Bowman. Once he had the green light, the 12-year-old applied for a grant with the support of his local club, the Hauraki Plains Football Club.
The new goals were installed on May 9, just in time for the beginning of the Thames Valley football season.
“We have lots of really good ideas at this school – the kids come up with great ideas, but the challenge is seeing the plan through,” Brook said.
“And that is something that Harry has done a phenomenal job of doing.”
Harry’s mother, Fleur Weaver, said she was proud of her son’s determination and initiative.
“Football is one of the most popular activities at the school, with groups of enthusiastic students gathering most lunchtimes to play,” she said.
“It’s been a long, patient wait for Harry, but so worth it. He just lives and breathes football.”
But Harry didn’t stop with the goals. An avid Auckland Football Club supporter, he also campaigned for a training session with members of the club’s prestigious football school.
Footballers Josh Arnold and Raihan Azim were happy to support Harry, arriving on August 17 to lead Netherton School’s senior students in a morning of drills and skills.
“Harry attends a lot of their camps up in Auckland,” Fleur said.
“Every holidays we go up and he stays for a week… The opportunities aren’t down here, unfortunately. So it’s great to have [the players] come out and share that with the greater population.”
Afterwards, the goals were officially opened, with Harry and Hauraki Plains FC president Matt Vendt cutting the ribbon. The students also had the opportunity to see the Auckland team’s A-League and OFC Pro League trophies up close.
Harry told The Profile he was thrilled to see his hard work come to fruition.
“I feel like my heart’s going 100 miles an hour… it felt really great. It’s just a super cool opportunity in such a small town.”
