The Weir Rose Bowl 2024 kicked off on Saturday October 5, 2024 at St Peter's School, Cambridge. More than 50 teams from across the North Island gathered for the three-day football development tournament.

The annual event is run by WaiBOP Football, and aims to foster aspiring young talent, offering both players and referees a platform for learning in a supportive and challenging environment.

The evnt involved four age categories - U-12 Mixed, U-12 Girls, U-13 Mixed, and U-14 Girls - with teams all playing 9v9 football. The U-12s played 50 minute games and the U-13s/U-14s played 60 minutes. 

The weekend delivered some quality football, as well as a lot of rain, with the weather unfortunately causing disruptions on the final day. 

Here’s how the weekend unfolded:

Day One: Sunshine, Rain, and Thunderstorms

The first games kicked off at 12:30 pm, allowing time for travel to Cambridge. 

A classic spring day saw 'four seasons in one day'. It started with sunshine, followed by scattered rain, and a thunderstorm mid-afternoon. 

Tournament Director Ken Cresswell kept a watchful eye on the conditions, ready to call a pause if needed. The storm passed over, and all teams managed to complete their games. 

Day Two: Rain-Soaked Football 

Games began at 9:00 am, with a full day of games scheduled. With many teams playing three games across the day, players and coaches had off-pitch challenges to manage - energy levels, food and hydration, and staying dry and warm. 

Rain showers continued on and off all day.

Day Three: Cancellations

Heavy rain overnight on Saturday caused challenges. At daylight, staff from WaiBOP and St Peter's School gathered to assess the conditions. With ducks swimming in large areas of surface water, several pitches were unplayable. The weather forecast predicted heavy rain and thunderstorms for the day. 

In the interest of prioritising player safety and pitch preservation, tournament organisers made the difficult decision to cancel most of the day’s games. The U-13 and U-14 games for teams playing off for positions 1-4 were rescheduled on the pitches with the least water damage. 

It was a disappointing call for all involved, especially teams who had travelled long distances to participate. 

The U-14 Girls' final was a 3-0 win for Eastern Suburbs over Hibiscus Coast, from Auckland and North of Auckland respectively. 

In the U-13 Mixed final, Eastern Suburbs and Northland FC had a tightly fought match that ended 2-2 after regular time, sending the game to a penalty shootout. Both teams had scored four penalties after the standard five rounds. The shootout continued into sudden death, with Eastern Suburbs eventually winning 7-6, after eight penalties taken by each team.

Referee Development: Building Future Officials

The Weir Rose Bowl Youth Referee Academy allows young referees to gain hands-on experience in a competitive setting. This year it was a four day programme, getting started a day before the games kicked off.

Led by FIFA referee Anna-Marie Keighley, the 2024 academy involved 26 youth referees, who were mentored by nine experienced referee coaches over the weekend.

Throughout the event, the WRB Youth Referee Academy referees took charge of all matches, gaining hands-on experience in a competitive, safe environment. 

Keighley says the academy's work is vital in developing the next generation of referees: "Referees also need opportunities like this to learn and practice what they are learning. This weekend has been a great chance for them to make decisions in a real-world environment and receive feedback from experienced mentors.”

Positive Vibes

The #PositiveVibesOnly campaign, which launched at the Weir Rose Bowl in 2023, was back this year with messages encouraging players, coaches, and supporters to maintain a positive and respectful environment. 

The WaiBOP staff got behind the campaign, with staff and referee coaches wearing the pink Positive Vibes vests all weekend. Volunteers Mia and Evelyn from the Football Foundation spent the weekend at the Positive Vibes tent talking about the Positive Vibes message, and giving out stickers, temporary tattoos, and overseeing the daily challenges.

WaiBOP Chief Executive Karyn Walters reinforced the importance of the message, saying, “Encouraging positive sideline behaviour is crucial for creating a supportive atmosphere for everyone.”

The ‘Festival’ Format: Focus on Development

For the U-12 categories, the Weir Rose Bowl operates a festival format, meaning that results are not recorded. There are no play-offs, and no finals. This approach aims to relieve pressure on young players and create an environment where the focus is on learning and development. 

Tournament Director Ken Cresswell explained the philosophy behind this format: “We want to take away some of the pressure from players and coaches, allowing them to focus on development rather than results.”

Onsite Accommodation

Onsite accommodation is offered in the St Peter’s School dorms, which includes meals in the school canteen. Many teams opt for this, and the opportunities for off-pitch team bonding that this offers. 
 

Article added: Friday 11 October 2024