Francis Douglas Memorial College

BADMINTON

Badminton is a winter sport which is played in Terms 2 and 3.

The school enters a team (juniors and seniors) to compete in the Taranaki Secondary Schools Championships.

Year 7 and 8 boys will be selected to represent the College against Highlands Intermediate late in the year.

Teacher in Charge of Badminton: Ms Tracey Meuli - tme@fdmc.school.nz

Competition and Teams: The school selects a team for the Taranaki Secondary School event and the Highland Intermediate interchange.

Training: Informal sessions are held every Tuesday afternoon in the gym until 4.20pm.

Uniform and Equipment: Students will be provided with a school shirt to compete in competitions.

BASKETBALL

Basketball is the fastest-growing sport at FDMC at all levels.

Teacher in Charge of Basketball: Mr Andy Cowie - aco@fdmc.school.nz

Competition and Teams: New Plymouth Men’s League: Senior A – Men’s premier (Wednesday night) / Senior Development – Men’s premier reserve (Tuesday night)

Taranaki Secondary School League: Senior A, Senior Development, Junior A, Junior Development and 9A – played on Thursday evenings.

New Plymouth Intermediate League: Year 8 and Year 7 teams (Monday and Tuesday afternoons)

FDMC League: Year 9/10 (Friday afternoon) / Year 11-13 (Friday evening)

School Exchanges: Our Senior A and Junior A take part in our annual school exchanges against St Bernard’s and St Johns, while our Senior A also play NPBHS.

Tournament Week: Senior A, Senior Development and Junior A all take part in the Zone 3 AA Championships for a week-long tournament in Term 3.

Aims Games: We send our top intermediate basketball team to Aims Games in Mt Maunganui each year in September.

Training: For all teams, training normally takes place after school and during the weekend at FDMC. The frequency will depend on the team and coach arrangement.

Uniform and Equipment: Depending on the team these are provided.

Cost: Subscriptions vary depending on the level of the team, and the distance they travel to compete.

CRICKET

The cricket season commences in early October and, with a break over Christmas, and finishes up in April. All teams take part in regular Saturday competitions. The First XI and Second XI cricket sides play in the Taranaki Cricket Men's Premier and Second Grade Competitions and the Intermediate and Junior sides play on Saturday mornings in the Taranaki Super Bash and Secondary School Competitions.

In addition to playing Premier men’s grade on a Saturday, the 1st XI plays several annual traditional fixtures against Wanganui Collegiate, Mount Albert Grammar School, St Patrick's Silverstream, Rathkeale College, St Peters Cambridge, St Patrick's Wellington and New Plymouth Boys High School. The Year 9 and 10 side have also competed in traditional fixtures with Wanganui Collegiate and St Peters Cambridge and participate in the national knock-out competition. The Year 7 and 8 side compete in the national Primary Cup competition.

Teacher in Charge of Cricket: Mr Mark Wales - mwal@fdmc.school.nz

Competition and Teams:

The 1st XI plays in the Taranaki Premier Competition. The 2nd XI play in the TCA 2nd / 3rd grade

At Year 9 and 10 level, the teams play in a 30-over morning grade format.

Sports Performance Class (Jaspers): A number of Year 10 cricketers are selected for individualised coaching during extra physical education classes (Jaspers programme)

Winter Academies: Clinics run through the winter with one-on-one coaching and individual programmes for any interested cricketers

Facilities and Training: Training is held after school and is spread across 3 areas that are dedicated to cricket: The FDMC Turf/ Cricket Nets, the Sulzberger Indoor Cricket facility and the Fields at FDMC.

Training is run by qualified Taranaki coaches, First XI members or qualified and committed parents.

CYCLING & MOUNTAIN BIKING

TSSSA hold annual events for Road/Track cycling and Mountain Biking, utilising the wonderful facilities here in Taranaki. There is also the opportunity for students to participate in North Island and national events.

When able, keen mountain bikers can opt into joining staff and parent helpers at Mangamahoe for after-school rides. These generally take place in Term 1 and/or Term 4. Students/parents are encouraged to subscribe to mountain biking in the school app to keep informed of when these may take place.

Teacher in charge of Cycling & Mountain Biking: Mr Tony Williams - twi@fdmc.school.nz

GOLF

Golf is an all-year sport which is played competitively and socially.

The school enters various teams (juniors and seniors) to compete in the Taranaki Secondary Schools Championships. With the winning team representing Taranaki in the New Zealand Secondary Schools Final. Other events include an exchange against Palmerston North Boys High and TSSSA Rotational Golf in Term 3. Depending on numbers other golf exchanges maybe possible.

Students are encouraged to sign up to ‘Futures Taranaki’ where more events are available monthly.

Uniform and Equipment: Students will have the option to buy a school polo and are expected to have their own equipment.

Teacher in Charge of Golf: Mr Jamie Reid - jre@fdmc.school.nz

HOCKEY

FDMC currently has 6 hockey teams, 3 secondary teams and 3 intermediate teams.

We are pleased to have former college players coaching our 1st XI team as well as our development team. Several of our players are also involved in umpiring and coaching our junior teams to give back to the code.

Mr Patrick O'Donnell Coaches our Aims Games hockey team and oversees the intermediate hockey training programme

Teacher in Charge of Hockey: Mrs Sheree Asi - sas@fdmc.school.nz

Mr Patrick O'Donnell - pdo@fdmc.school.nz

MULTISPORT & ADVENTURE RACING

Adventure Racing is a parent led sport here at College. The students will have one or two trainings a week that cater for all abilities. These trainings can take place after school and during weekends depending on availability of students and coaches.

The school enters various teams (juniors and seniors) to compete in the Taranaki Secondary Schools Orienteering, Rogaine and Mountain Biking. The juniors will also compete in the Get 2 Go Challenge while the seniors focus on qualifying and competing in the Hillary Challenge. These two events are mixed teams with SHGC.

Other events are also organised by the parents. These include and are not limited to the Taranaki 3 & 6 Hr event, NISS Orienteering Champs, NZ Orienteering & Rogaine Champs.

Teacher in charge of Senior Adventure Racing: Mr Tony Williams - twi@fdmc.school.nz

Teacher in Charge of Junior Adventure Racing: Mr Jamie Reid - jre@fdmc.school.nz

RUGBY

Rugby is a traditional winter sport at FDMC. We promote a positive environment where all players can develop their skills, experience success, and enjoy the game we love.

Rugby commences in late March. FDMC field teams across all Under 13 and Secondary School grades in the Taranaki-wide competition. Our teams include; Ferdie 7 and Ferdie 8, under 15 restricted weight, under 15 open weight, 3rd XV, 2nd XV and Ist XV. All teams take part in regular Saturday competitions and train twice a week.

In addition to regular Saturday games, FDMC participates in a number of inter-school fixtures. Our 1st XV traditionally play against De La Salle College, Palmerston North Boys' High School, New Plymouth Boys' High School, Whanganui Collegiate, St Bernard's College and St John's College Hastings.

An Under-15 A side is selected during the season, and they play in some of our inter-school fixtures in preparation for their tournament. Similarly, a Year 7 and 8 1st XV is selected during the season to play against Taranaki intermediate-age students in the Barrett Shield competition.

Teacher in Charge of Rugby: Mr James Rowland - jro@fdmc.school.nz

Additionally, follow FDMC Rugby on Facebook or Instagram for up-to-date information and photos.

Competition and Teams: FDMC fields teams in the TRFU Secondary School Competition. The Steeformers FDMC 1st XV compete in the Central North Island (CNI) competition. Our U15 A team competes in a week-long tournament in September, and our Year 7 and 8 1st XV compete locally for the Barrett Shield. All teams other than the 1st XV take part in the TRFU Saturday competition. Where we have two teams in a grade we work hard to ensure they are of equal ability. We also attend the National AIMS games in Tauranga (year 7&8 Sevens) and Condor National Sevens (U15 and Senior Open)

Training: For all teams, training normally takes place after school at FDMC. The frequency will depend on the team and coach arrangement.

Uniform and Equipment: The school’s uniform shop provides the school's rugby kit. All those players below the 2nd XV level will need to purchase an FDMC rugby jersey, blue rugby shorts, and FDMC rugby socks as well as a mouthguard and boots.

Cost: Subscriptions vary depending on the level of the team, and the distance they travel to compete.

TENNIS

Francis Douglas Memorial College offers a tennis program for all students. The program runs in Terms one and four costing $50 each term. The program involves coaching, games, and cardio tennis, which are provided by the professional coaches at Rotokare Tennis Club. This program runs on Thursdays after school from 3.30 pm until 5 pm. Any student, from advanced to beginner players, are welcome to join. It is a fun opportunity to play some tennis with other students.

It is encouraged that students remain involved with their chosen club as well as doing school tennis to be able to compete in the regional interclub competition.

Term One also sees the addition of a top 12 training squad with a cost of $80 per term. This is selected based on the Thursday after-school program and official rankings. The squad trains on a Tuesday and Thursday morning before school from 7 am until 8 am before walking over for classes at 8.45 am. These students have specialised training with Rotokare Tennis Clubs Coaches in preparation for several exchanges and Nationals. 8 students are selected from this squad to compete in exchanges based on availability and commitment. 3 students are selected from this squad to attend Nationals. We currently compete in 5 exchanges with New Plymouth Boys High School, Palmerston North Boys High School, Wanganui Collegiate, St Peter's Cambridge and Feilding High School.

Other opportunities to represent the school which aren't limited by numbers and are open to all are the Primary Championship Tournament held in Term 4 for Intermediate Students and TSSA Tennis in Term 1 for Secondary students. You don't have to attend either program to be eligible to compete in these two competitions, just listen out in the notices for meetings regarding these fixtures.

Teacher in Charge of Tennis: Ms Brianna Matthews - bma@fdmc.school.nz

WAKA AMA

Waka ama, is a traditional Polynesian water sport. Participants paddle in a waka (canoe) with an ama (outrigger) for stability, racing or cruising through the water with a sense of teamwork and camaraderie. Waka ama provides not only a great physical workout, but also a way to whakawhānaunga (connect) with others and the moana (ocean).

Practices and training are at Ngamotu beach on Monday or Wednesdays. Meeting point is near the playground by the yacht club. Training generally starts at 4pm and goes for an hour and a half. All equipment is provided for paddling but clothing appropriate for swimming is needed with an undershirt for the lifejacket.

We will travel to Lake Tikitapu (Blue Lake) in Rotorua for Secondary Schools Nationals. This consists of staying on a marae for the week of the tournament and travelling to the lake everyday for races. Next year the dates are Mon 24th Mar - Fri 28th Mar 2025.

Teacher in Charge of Waka Ama: Mr Tuhoro Christie - tch@fdmc.school.nz