I’m not a footballer by any means, yet it is almost the last event in Whangarei for the under 20 FIFA tournament, and now is a chance to reflect and ask what has happened since a FIFA game was first played here on May 30 – and a FIFA scandal shocked the world.

We have had officials arrested and scandals announced, however young people are still playing sport.  We have had a town that has shown great support towards all the teams that have competed here; at times, we’ve really come out behind the underdogs of each of the games – I’m thinking Myanmar and Fiji, who received our love and support.

Whangarei’s volunteers made the event a success. Helping out in the Media Centre, I’ve been able to interact with different media representatives and encouraged them to visit the various parts of Northland if they have the time.  Some, of course, were only there for the day and had to be on the plane to the next venue or country; others went out to Whangarei Heads, Tutukaka and the Whangarei Falls. It seemed to me that for most of them, a city is a city is a city, but what makes a country is the beauty. Some of that beauty is inside people.

Northland has so much to offer the rest of the world, and yet we argue about buildings, flags, joining with other districts.

When we work together, like the volunteers and organisers have done with the FIFA tournaments, we achieve so much and represent our area really well.