& Co: The man behind it all

He is the mastermind from behind the scenes and the main man in charge of Futsal at Rototuna High Schools (RHS). This man is none other than John Oakley, a teacher at the high school.

John’s role as the teacher in charge of Futsal is the organisation of all futsal teams at RHS. Some of his priorities include forming teams, finding coaches for those teams and the many organisational tasks he has to do behind the scenes. John has been heavily involved with the Men’s Senior Premier team as not only the manager but as a coach as well.

 John admits that he had no  previous experiences with Futsal. When he was approached for the position he jumped at the opportunity as it was something new and piqued his interest as he saw the potential growth of the sport. From knowing nothing of the game to being well versed in knowledge of the sport in four years is impressive and John mentioned how Kyle Wisnewski helped him learn the game. John refers to himself as a YouTube learner as it was another way that helped him learn the game.

After a disappointing run at this year’s nationals, due to an underperforming Men’s Senior Premier team, it caused John to rethink if he had done enough and was committed enough. He wondered if he was doing his job right or maybe or if he should step down and let someone have a go. However ,after talking with other Futsal coaches and a bit of reflection, John decided to keep going and continue as the head of Futsal. This resulted in him stepping down as a coach for his football team so he could solely focus on Futsal. 

“Development of futsal in the region and developing players’ and players’ passion, that has always been my drive.”

John Oakley

His goals aren’t solely focused on winning a national championship, he just enjoys being able to develop players and hopefully one day that will result in a Futsal championship title. When asked what his goal for the coming season is and what he wants to see from the Rototuna Senior Premier Futsal team, he emphasised the importance of being competitive and building his team up for the upcoming nationals next year.