The NZSS U15 Football team have just returned from Malaysia. Four local players - William Tucker, Luca Molnar, Billy Check and Riley Grover were part of the team - congratulations boys on a fabulous tour!!

Below is a report from one of the players' parents:

Four of Nelson’s talented young footballers headed to Malaysia this month to represent New Zealand in the national Secondary Schools under 15 football team. William Tucker, Luca Molnar, Billy Check and Riley Grover were selected in the team of 18 from around the country after a trial in Palmerston North at Easter. William Tucker was named captain of the touring team.

The tour began with a two day training camp in Auckland where the boys met up for the first time to work on tactical play and team bonding. The matches started in Kaula Lumpur on the 7th July and a total of six games were played against teams from national and state sports institutes. Four games were played in KL and two games in Penang.

The team played some outstanding football winning three of their six games and losing three, all by single goal margins. Billy Check was named player of the tour, for his consistently outstanding performances. The biggest obstacle for the team was playing in the temperatures of 35C+ including one game in thunder, lightning and torrential rain.

It was a great experience on and off the pitch for the boys getting a taste of high performance touring.

While on tour the boys also had the opportunity to experience Malaysia’s culture and environment with several exciting local activities.

It was terrific to see the four boys who have come up through Nelson Bays youth football, playing together representing New Zealand.

Article added: Monday 23 July 2018