Auckland’s Westlake Boys High School will travel to China in May to represent New Zealand at a schools’ world cup tournament.
The Westlake first team will compete at the International School Sport Federation (ISF) Football World Cup in Dalian, China. from May 14-28, 2024.
The tournament is a new event originating from ISF World School Championships which have been held since 1972, and will bring together teams from around the world.
In 2023, Westlake won four titles, including the national secondary schools’ premier tournament which led to the invitation to the cup event in China.
Titles won by the team were:
• New Zealand Secondary Schools National Premier Football Tournament.
• College Sport Auckland Premier Football League.
• College Sport Auckland Senior Knockout Cup.
• New Zealand Alex Harvey Industries Trophy Holders.
Fundraising activities
Having earned the right to represent New Zealand at the tournament, the school and team are now fundraising to get the touring party to China.
They have set up a fundraising committee with the goal of taking 18 players and three staff to the tournament.
They are seeking sponsors for the team, and will host a Westlake football community fundraising evening on April 12.
Guest speaker will be All Whites head coach Darren Bazeley, and auction items include an All Whites shirt signed by defender Tommy Smith.
They have set up a Givealittle page which you can visit here:
Touring party
Kai Barratt
Finn Carpenter
Bill Cui
Cameron Deamer
Mikey Gambitsis
Levi Hill
Ray Ishihara
Jayden Kim
James Lee
Karter MacKenzie
Conall McLean
Troy Putt
Matthew Rodrigues
Nikola Stoychev
Hamish Strong
Carlos Takayama
Charlie Taylor
Jack Young
Head coach: Dave Wright
Assistant coach: Nick Dale
Team manager: Logan Douglas
Logistics manager: Simon Tyndal
The venue
The tournament will be staged in the Chinese coastal city of Dalian. which has a population of 7.5 million.
The venues for the tournament include the Dalian Suoyuwan Football Stadium, the Dalian Sports Centre and the Dalian Football Youth Training Base.
The event
ISF football competitions originate from ISF World School Championships (WSC), which have been staged 27 times in 51 years. starting in 1972.
In 2022, when celebrating the 50th anniversary of ISF WSC Football, a new event, the ISF Football World Cup was launched, with PR China winning the hosting rights for the first three tournaments in 2024, 2026 and 2028.
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