Back to News

Sports News Roundup 30 October 2026

30 October 2026

🏆⚽ NATIONAL CHAMPIONS! ⚽🏆

Huge congratulations to ŌTC’s Zen Miyanami and Rian Snow and Jack Veale, who have claimed the National Under 19 Football Tournament title with Tauranga City U19s! 🔥

Taking on the best in the nation at the biggest tournament for their age group, these three boys have achieved something special! 🙌

🌟 An extra shoutout to Jack Veale — now a BACK-TO-BACK champion, adding this year’s title to last year’s success, scoring TWO goals in the final AND taking home Tournament MVP! What a tournament! 👏⚽⚽

The ŌTC whānau are proud of you all! 💚

🏉🔥 SMALL SQUAD, MASSIVE HEART! 💚🤍

🥉 3RD IN THE BAY & CONDOR 7s BOUND! 🦅

What an incredible effort from our ŌTC Senior Girls Rugby 7s team! 💪

On Wednesday 28 October, our girls headed to Paengaroa for the BOP Secondary Schools Rugby 7s Tournament, and they certainly left it all out on the field!

With JUST 8 PLAYERS ALL DAY, these wāhine showed unbelievable grit, determination and teamwork, digging deep in every game to secure an outstanding 3rd place finish! 🥉

And the icing on the cake? 🎂 They’ve officially QUALIFIED FOR THE CONDOR 7s IN DECEMBER! 🔥🏉

A massive shift from a small but mighty squad! The hard mahi, courage and heart shown by these girls is something our whole ŌTC whānau can be proud of!

BRING ON CONDOR 7s! 💚🤍

🏉🔥 BIG WINS & A CLOSE FINISH FOR OUR JUNIOR BARBARIANS!

Our Barbarians Junior Boys headed to Paengaroa on Wednesday 28 October for the BOP Secondary Schools Rugby 7s Tournament, finishing 6th overall!

After a tough opening match, the boys bounced back with two huge wins to book their place in the Plate Final. A tight battle against Taupō saw them fall just five points short. 💪

🏉 v Raukura — 14–31 loss
✅ v Mount — 41–7 win
✅ v Ruatoki — 39–5 win
🏉 Plate Final v Taupō — 15–20 loss

Plenty of hard mahi and some impressive rugby from our boys. Proud of your efforts, team! 💚🤍

🏆 STAFF TAKE THE SERIES — JUST! 🥏

Seven games, plenty of laughs and results that kept us guessing right to the end! Our 2026 Year 13 v Staff series had it all. 🔥

Team Staff took an early 3–0 lead with three nail-biters:
🏐 Volleyball: 36–34
🏀 Basketball: 40–34
🏐 Netball: 24–23

But the Y13s came charging back, winning football, touch and hockey—with their hockey winner scored in the LAST SECOND before the bell! 😱 That locked the series at 3–3 and sent us to an Ultimate Frisbee decider.

Fittingly, that was another thriller! Staff edged it 5–4, claiming the series 4–3 and the bragging rights… for now! 🏆

What stood out most was the fantastic spirit between our Y13s and Staff. Competitive, full of banter and played with respect—these games showed how sport brings our school together. 💚🤍

A massive thank you to everyone who played, organised and cheered from the sidelines.

Bring on 2027—more sports, more laughs and another shot at glory! 🙌

ŌTC Sports Awards: Shaped by Student Voice

Our Sports Awards are an opportunity to celebrate the achievements, commitment and contributions of our student-athletes and the people who support them. This year, we are making some changes to how we recognise these successes.

Following consultation with students, Teachers in Charge, coaches and managers, a select number of awards will now be presented at year level assemblies. This provides an opportunity for students to be celebrated in front of their peers, while allowing for a shorter, more focused Sports Awards evening.

With close to 200 awards previously being presented, feedback highlighted the length of the evening and the importance of protecting the prestige and mana of our sporting awards. These changes aim to ensure that recognition remains meaningful and that the evening feels special for students, whānau and everyone involved.

Receiving an award at an assembly remains an achievement to be proud of. Each award recognises a valued contribution or accomplishment within ŌTC Sport.

Changes to our awards are considered carefully, with student voice central to the process. As with everything we do in sport at ŌTC, our students are at the heart of it.

Thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts and helped shape this year’s celebrations. We look forward to recognising another fantastic year of ŌTC Sport together.

🏆 2026 ŌTC WINTER SPORTS – UNIFORM RETURN 🏆

What a winter season it’s been! From the courts and turfs to the fields and gyms, our ŌTC student-athletes have represented the school with pride throughout 2026. 🖤💚

Now that the winter season has wrapped up, it’s time to get those uniforms back home!

👕 Please return your ŌTC winter sports uniform to SHED ONE as soon as possible.

Have a quick look in the wardrobe, sports bag, car, laundry basket… or wherever else it may have ended up! 😄

A massive thank you to all our players, coaches, managers, whānau and supporters for another fantastic winter of ŌTC Sport.

REGISTER NOW

The 2026 NEW ZEALAND SECONDARY SCHOOLS TRACK & FIELD, & ROAD RACE CHAMPIONSHIPS are on 11th, 12th, & 13th December 2026 at Cooks Gardens – Whanganui.

If you’re interested in entering for Ōtūmoetai College, please fill in the below registration form.

https://forms.gle/aMwoWDCr1CfY5iVj6

Any questions, please email sport@otc.school.nz

Ultimate Frisbee Term 4 League

Are you interested in playing Ultimate Frisbee for Ōtūmoetai College in Term 4?
And the massive bonus… GAMES are here on our fields.

Please contact the Teacher in Charge of Ultimate Frisbee, Mr McMahon
pmcmahon@otc.school.nz

⚽️ 2027 TERM 1 FUTSAL GIRLS – EXPRESSION OF INTEREST ⚽️

Keen

Calling all ŌTC girls who are keen to represent Ōtūmoetai College in Futsal in Term 1, 2027! 🙌

We’re getting an early start on preparations, with Lilly Muspratt running three Selection Squad sessions in the Action Centre during Term 4.

📅 Saturday 31 October | 3.00pm–5.00pm
📅 Saturday 7 November | 3.00pm–5.00pm
📅 Saturday 21 November | 3.00pm–5.00pm

Whether you’re an experienced futsal player or keen to put yourself forward for the 2027 squad, we’d love to hear from you.

Interested? Complete the Expression of Interest form.

https://forms.gle/FGGgi4vmPafr5cJD8

📧 Any questions, please contact dplayford@otc.school.nz

Get involved, get on the court and put your hand up to represent ŌTC Sport in 2027! 💪⚽️

🏏 CRICKET IS BACK AT ŌTC FOR 2026/27!

We’re excited to announce that ŌTC Cricket is back for the 2026/27 season, with Sam Owen taking the helm and leading cricket here at ŌTC.

Sam has been at the heart of ŌTC Cricket for a number of years and brings a genuine passion for growing the game at our kura. His focus is on creating more opportunities for our student-athletes to train, compete and represent ŌTC, while building a cricket programme that can continue to grow in the years ahead.

This season we are looking to field 1st XI Boys, 1st XI Girls, Junior Boys and Junior Girls teams, with a programme designed to provide considerably more cricket for our players.

What are we working towards?
🏏 Regular school-based cricket training
🤝 Four or more school exchanges, including opportunities against schools such as St Peter’s Cambridge, Rotorua Boys’ High School and Waikato Diocesan
💪 Cricket-specific Strength & Conditioning, beginning in Week 7
🏆 BOP Secondary Schools Cricket Championships
🏏 1st XI Cup competition

Whether you have represented ŌTC previously or are keen to get involved in cricket for the first time, we want to hear from you.

If you would like to play cricket for ŌTC this season, please complete the short registration form below. If you have already registered, thank you — you’re all sorted!

👉 REGISTER YOUR INTEREST HERE

Cricket is back. Pull on the jersey and be part of what we’re building at ŌTC. 🏏

🏋️ Term 4 Strength & Conditioning

The Term 4 S&C timetable is ready. Sessions run from Weeks 1–9, with options for athletes competing now and those preparing for next season.

Summer sport athletes can attend their weekly sport-specific session to maintain strength and speed alongside training and games.

Winter sport athletes can use Sports Academy to build strength and movement skills ahead of next season. There are five session times to choose from; attending twice a week is recommended.

Game Ready offers coached speed and agility development on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 4:15–5:00 pm.

View the Term 4 timetable and sign up for S&C or Sports Academy through the Strength & Conditioning page.

School Physio

Care for your body with our school physiotherapy service…

STRONGER TODAY. PERFORM BETTER TOMORROW. 💪🏽🟢

At Ōtūmoetai College Sport, we believe physical development is not an “extra” — it is an essential part of helping young athletes thrive.

New research reviewing 17 randomised controlled trials across team sports found that structured strength training can:

✅ Reduce injury risk by 30–70%

✅ Improve sprint speed, jump height and power

✅ Enhance movement quality and resilience

✅ Support long-term athletic development and wellbeing

Most importantly, the evidence shows these benefits are especially valuable for youth athletes involved in sports such as football, netball, volleyball, rugby and basketball.

Our ŌTC Strength & Conditioning Programme is designed to do exactly that:

🏋🏽 Build stronger, more resilient athletes

⚡ Improve movement efficiency and athletic performance

🧠 Develop confidence, discipline and physical literacy

🛡 Help reduce preventable injuries and time away from sport

High performance is built over time — not just during a season.

That is why we strongly encourage all ŌTC student-athletes to commit to year-round physical development alongside their sport-specific training. Consistency matters. Quality movement matters. Long-term development matters.

Whether students are aiming for representative honours, premier sport, or simply wanting to enjoy sport for longer and perform at their best, structured S&C training provides the foundation.