28th of July:
2,800 boys attend Auckland Grammar School, one of New Zealand’s most storied and traditional schools, in the heart of central Auckland. I (Andrew Aris, director of Spirit of Football Germany) went there from 1991 to 1995 – playing football for the First XI. It is an emotional day for me bringing The Ball back to this hallowed place which holds so many memories.
Some things have changed in the last several decades since my graduation in 1995, however much is still the same – including the school uniform. The event is attended by the First Xi Football Team and the school’s Headmaster’s Environmental Committee. All participants sign The Ball and selected representatives of both groups pledge.
For me the pledge of the First XI is particularly interesting. I grew-up attending this all-boys school in the 1990s. Gender equality was far from being on the agenda back then. We boys grew up believing that it was most certainly a man’s world. Times have changed. I felt it was important to speak to the importance of young men being supportive of and encouraging the women and girls in their lives and always aiming to treat people of a different gender and indeed everyone with the utmost respect. The Captain of the First X1 pledged on behalf of and surrounded by the rest of his team to fight for gender equality.
