1 00:00:00,080 --> 00:00:03,080 Speaker 1: New Zealand is getting its first dedicated sports school. It's 2 00:00:03,080 --> 00:00:04,800 Speaker 1: going to be an Upper Hut. It's a charter school. 3 00:00:04,840 --> 00:00:07,000 Speaker 1: It's going to open its doors to years eleven to 4 00:00:07,040 --> 00:00:09,799 Speaker 1: thirteen students in January and they're going to focus on 5 00:00:09,840 --> 00:00:12,840 Speaker 1: elite sports training as well as the books. First it's 6 00:00:12,840 --> 00:00:15,280 Speaker 1: offering football and rugby, but then other sports in the 7 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:18,639 Speaker 1: future hopefully. The Wellington Phoenix Football Academy are involved in 8 00:00:18,680 --> 00:00:21,040 Speaker 1: Wellington Phoenix General manager David Domus with us. 9 00:00:21,040 --> 00:00:23,239 Speaker 2: Hey, David good, that's a noon Heather. 10 00:00:23,760 --> 00:00:25,560 Speaker 1: Why did you guys decide to get involved here. 11 00:00:27,160 --> 00:00:29,760 Speaker 2: Well, we were asked by our board, the Phoenix Board, 12 00:00:30,040 --> 00:00:31,800 Speaker 2: maybe five six years to go to say, look, how 13 00:00:31,800 --> 00:00:34,159 Speaker 2: can we take the academy our very successful coming to 14 00:00:34,200 --> 00:00:35,559 Speaker 2: the next step. What do we need to do? What 15 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:37,560 Speaker 2: can we do to make it better? Make it more successful? 16 00:00:40,200 --> 00:00:42,239 Speaker 2: Are you still there things in the United State? Can 17 00:00:42,280 --> 00:00:42,760 Speaker 2: you hear me? Oh? 18 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:44,279 Speaker 1: You sorry? We just lost your carry on. 19 00:00:45,320 --> 00:00:47,520 Speaker 2: I'm just saying so. When we were asked by the board, 20 00:00:47,520 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 2: this is the Phoenix Board, to examine how it can 21 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:51,839 Speaker 2: make our academy even more successful than it is. And 22 00:00:52,040 --> 00:00:54,240 Speaker 2: we did a bit of research around the world, looked 23 00:00:54,280 --> 00:00:55,720 Speaker 2: how the Americans did it how they did it in 24 00:00:55,720 --> 00:00:58,440 Speaker 2: Europe and Spain and Italy, and it was really combining 25 00:00:58,520 --> 00:01:01,080 Speaker 2: education in sports, and so it was very hard for 26 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:02,560 Speaker 2: us to do that at the time, given that there 27 00:01:02,600 --> 00:01:05,000 Speaker 2: was only the state school alternative, which we couldn't really 28 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:07,399 Speaker 2: be a part of. But now with charter charter schools 29 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:09,759 Speaker 2: and the initiatives that have come in, there perfect opportunity 30 00:01:09,760 --> 00:01:10,680 Speaker 2: and then we jumped at it. 31 00:01:10,720 --> 00:01:12,320 Speaker 1: Does it make a difference like that if you set 32 00:01:12,400 --> 00:01:14,959 Speaker 1: up something like this, do you actually get much better 33 00:01:14,959 --> 00:01:16,080 Speaker 1: footballers as a result. 34 00:01:17,240 --> 00:01:18,880 Speaker 2: Well, what you do is you get to integrate their 35 00:01:19,000 --> 00:01:22,280 Speaker 2: education and their training. So what we're finding at the 36 00:01:22,280 --> 00:01:24,240 Speaker 2: moment the academy, we've got kids training at six o'clock 37 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:26,160 Speaker 2: in the morning, We've got kids training at seven o'clock 38 00:01:26,200 --> 00:01:29,319 Speaker 2: at night. That's not ideal for physiology. But the second component, 39 00:01:29,360 --> 00:01:31,679 Speaker 2: which is probably more important, is that the kids will 40 00:01:31,720 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 2: be you know, we'll be integrating sport into the education. 41 00:01:34,880 --> 00:01:36,680 Speaker 2: So it should keep them more engaged, It should keep 42 00:01:36,720 --> 00:01:39,640 Speaker 2: them more interested in the education, and that should tune 43 00:01:39,640 --> 00:01:41,840 Speaker 2: out not only better sports people at the other end, 44 00:01:41,880 --> 00:01:44,520 Speaker 2: but also better educated academics as well. So how do 45 00:01:44,560 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 2: you split the day, Well, in the days, it's pretty 46 00:01:48,200 --> 00:01:50,200 Speaker 2: much a normal school day. Well, you know, we're still 47 00:01:50,280 --> 00:01:52,440 Speaker 2: being very clear that it's got to be a quality education. 48 00:01:52,480 --> 00:01:53,840 Speaker 2: We're not going to skimp on that. And the same 49 00:01:53,840 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 2: way the academy doesn't skimp on the training we do here, 50 00:01:56,560 --> 00:01:58,120 Speaker 2: we're not going to skimp on the education. It's going 51 00:01:58,160 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 2: to be top quality. So it's going to look pretty 52 00:02:00,160 --> 00:02:02,680 Speaker 2: very similar. There will be modules throughout the day where 53 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:05,240 Speaker 2: I'll go off and do their own specific code training, 54 00:02:05,280 --> 00:02:07,680 Speaker 2: whether that's football with us, or rugby or cricket with 55 00:02:07,760 --> 00:02:10,760 Speaker 2: Cricket Wellington or whoever we get. We partner with codes 56 00:02:10,800 --> 00:02:12,959 Speaker 2: we take up. They will go do some stuff during 57 00:02:12,960 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 2: the day. It probably at a better time than than 58 00:02:15,440 --> 00:02:17,400 Speaker 2: six o'clock in the morning at o'clock at night. So 59 00:02:17,560 --> 00:02:19,480 Speaker 2: all things being equal, I mean it will look very 60 00:02:19,560 --> 00:02:21,960 Speaker 2: very similar, but it will just be more tailored to 61 00:02:22,400 --> 00:02:23,560 Speaker 2: a sports student. 62 00:02:23,600 --> 00:02:25,239 Speaker 1: You've got spaces available for next year. 63 00:02:26,120 --> 00:02:27,560 Speaker 2: We've only got one hundred we've seen we're going to 64 00:02:27,560 --> 00:02:28,959 Speaker 2: cap ourselves that a one hundred. We don't want to 65 00:02:28,960 --> 00:02:31,320 Speaker 2: go any bigger than that because we want to be able. Again, 66 00:02:31,760 --> 00:02:34,600 Speaker 2: school class numbers are going to be crucial for success. 67 00:02:34,600 --> 00:02:36,600 Speaker 2: We don't want to be oversubscribed in the first year. 68 00:02:36,960 --> 00:02:40,360 Speaker 2: We've already got eighteen to twenty kids in our boarding 69 00:02:40,360 --> 00:02:42,959 Speaker 2: house here at the Academy at Wartington, Phoenix, so we're 70 00:02:42,960 --> 00:02:44,600 Speaker 2: pretty sure they we're probably going to get the majority 71 00:02:44,600 --> 00:02:46,720 Speaker 2: of those kids come across. There's not that many spaces 72 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:48,919 Speaker 2: left and ever since we announced it this morning, we've 73 00:02:48,919 --> 00:02:51,320 Speaker 2: already got about twenty application of students who want to join. 74 00:02:51,440 --> 00:02:53,359 Speaker 2: So look it's going to be I think we'll be 75 00:02:53,400 --> 00:02:55,400 Speaker 2: able to get good numbers. We're not, like I said, 76 00:02:55,400 --> 00:02:57,320 Speaker 2: we're not going to go huge, but we'll get to 77 00:02:57,320 --> 00:02:58,480 Speaker 2: our hundred I think brilliant. 78 00:02:58,560 --> 00:03:00,720 Speaker 1: Hey, well done you, thanks very much, David David Domee, 79 00:03:00,720 --> 00:03:03,480 Speaker 1: Wellington Phoenix General Manager. I bet there's a few football 80 00:03:03,480 --> 00:03:04,400 Speaker 1: clubs would love to go to that. 81 00:03:05,160 --> 00:03:08,360 Speaker 2: For more from Hither Duplessy Allen Drive, listen live to 82 00:03:08,440 --> 00:03:11,480 Speaker 2: news talks. It'd be from four pm weekdays, or follow 83 00:03:11,520 --> 00:03:13,280 Speaker 2: the podcast on iHeartRadio.