From her childhood in a town “even smaller” than Rotorua, German football star Babett Peter has gone on to win a World Cup and an Olympic gold medal and to play for one of the sport’s iconic brands, Real Madrid.
On Monday she brought her inspirational message to Rotorua Lakes High School, along with the Fifa Women’s World Cup trophy. Students from 10 Bay of Plenty schools attended the event.
The World Cup is on tour ahead of the 2023 tournament, which will be hosted by New Zealand and Australia from next month. Five games will be played at Hamilton’s Waikato Stadium.
Peter, 35, was part of the German team that won the Fifa Women’s World Cup in 2007, bronze at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
The Real Madrid player told the Rotorua Daily Post that football allowed her to leave her small hometown. “It’s even smaller than this beautiful town [Rotorua - population about 77,000].”
“I was able to live in different countries [and] speak different languages,” Peter said.
“For me, football is the door to the world.”
She said visiting the school was important to show “young girls and boys what is possible when you just believe in yourself”.
Peter said young people should play football to learn about friendship and the inclusion of others. “You learn about different cultures and backgrounds ... in a team environment.”
She said football was a “great opportunity” to teach young people what it meant to be part of a community.
Her advice for young aspiring players was to do anything with “100 per cent of your passion” and a smile on their faces.
Rotorua Lakes High School Year 11 student Poppy Croucher made a welcome speech at the event.
She told the Rotorua Daily Post football sparked her “lifelong love of sport”, which she has since transferred to hockey and mountain biking.
Croucher said it was inspirational having a World Cup star at the school.
“I think football, in particular, is so good because it’s inclusive to both males and females and just a really fun sport.”
Keanen Dyson is the Year 13 sports captain at the school. He said playing sports “promotes good mental health among kids. It’s a great way to build friendships and communicate with others”.
His sports leadership role at the school included organising lunchtime sports activities and sports clubs.
He said having world-class players visit was “amazing”.
Emma Pol is a Year 11 footballer who has grown up playing football. “I love the movement and the excitement when you get a goal.”
Pol said she enjoyed the “energetic” side of the sport and hoped to continue to play football after school as a leisure activity.
Alexa Harvey, who plays for the Lakes Football Club women’s team and for the Māori Aotearoa Under-18 Kurangaituku team - set to play Hawaii next month - said she started playing football when she was young.
The 19-year-old’s advice for new players was to “have fun” first, and develop discipline and commitment as they gain experience.
“It’s such a big passion for me,” she said.
Rotorua Lakes High School principal Jon Ward said having Peter and the trophy visit the school was an “amazing opportunity to share this very rare occasion having [the] Fifa World Cup here in New Zealand”.
Ward said the event reaffirmed the strong growth of football at the school, and in women’s sports in general.
Head of sport and recreation for the school, Senila Savage, said it was an opportunity for students to see “big international stars and realise the potential sports can provide to them”.
The physical education and outdoor education teacher said showing students there was a professional side to sports and the pathway into it was important.
Savage said there had been a significant drop in the number of students wanting to participate in organised sport, which she attributed to the influence of technology making it less common for “kids to just go outside and play” for their entertainment.
She said there were many positive physical, mental and emotional benefits of playing a sport and events such as the World Cup were a chance to promote these.
“It teaches you values. It teaches you integrity.”
Michaela Pointon is an NZME reporter based in the Bay of Plenty and was formerly a feature writer.