The long awaited arrival of this year’s American Samoa High School Athletic Association (ASHSAA) Football Season is finally here, with the season opener scheduled for this Saturday August 27, 2016 — the match up between the reigning undefeated champions, Faga'itua Vikings and the Leone Lions in a double header that'll feature both the varsity and junior varsity teams.
Samoa News interviewed the head of the Department Of Education (DOE) Athletic Department ASHSAA Director Tumua Matu'u, who reflected on their preparations for this year’s season, as well as elaborating on some of the changes that they have been able to do for the league this year, compared to the previous years.
Matu’u said, "There are many things that we can do better each year and we strive to do so – last year we didn't have funding for field security to keep the parents and students who were not coaches or part of the water crew from entering the field.
“This posed a problem for coaches and officials — this year, we will be working closely with the schools who will provide volunteers to assist us in this area,” she said.
The ASHSAA Board, which consists of full member school principals and DOE members include ASHSAA President Tupa'i Rod Atafua (NVTHS Principal), as well as ASHSAA VP Beauty Tuiasosopo (THS Principal), Executive Secretary Tumua Matu'u (ASHSAA Director) — all under the direction and management of DOE's Liatama Amisone.
Matu'u told Samoa News, "College recruiting is a topic that has been discussed in our recent board meetings – the board meets biweekly and if necessary, weekly.”
She said, "There is a misconception that high school coaches, especially head coaches of any sport – are responsible for getting an athlete a college scholarship. It is important for parents to know that the responsibility lies with them and their kids (student athlete)."
Matu'u continued, "Another misconception is that the recruiting process is difficult — the bottom line is that if an athlete is not being contacted by college coaches, the athlete should be proactive and start contacting colleges his or herself to seek collegiate opportunities.”
The ASHSAA director said, “From there, the college coach will be able to provide the parents with the guidance to complete the recruiting process.”
According to Matu'u, the third misconception is that “the recruiting process starts during the athletes Junior or Senior year in high school. The recruiting process starts as early as middle school for many – some college coaches are seeking out players as young as the 6th grade. The recruiting process and preparations should not wait until an athlete starts high school."
She said, "An athlete’s eligibility to compete at the NCAA Division I & II are required to register with the NCAA Clearing House. The clearing house performs an academic record evaluation to determine if an athlete has met academic requirements to compete within these NCAA Divisions."
Reflecting on the teamwork between ASHSAA and their coaches, Matu'u told Samoa News, the "ASHSAA Board recognizes that qualified coaches are key to the success of its program. Nowadays it is very difficult for public schools to find coaches — especially with the minute stipend they receive to coach.”
She said, a “counter argument is that in the past, coaches did for free and shouldn't require pay – as true as this may have been in the past, times have changed. Qualified coaches are crucial when it comes to developing athletes — if we do not secure coaches with sound knowledge of the sport, especially fundamentals — our sports program will never reach its potential.”
Matu'u told Samoa News that the financial side is a never-ending setback in their curriculum system. She said, "The lack of funding allocated exclusively for ASDOE sports has always been a struggle for our office and the ASHSAA program – grant funding caters to curricular activities.
“Sports is an extra curricular activity, so we are very dependent on local funding. The ASHSAA Board in collaboration with PTAs had put together a funding proposal that was submitted for review by ASDOE administration a few months ago, and we are still waiting for their response," she said.
In addition, Matu'u told Samoa News that the lack of funding also puts them in a difficult situation with personnel to complete their staff as a whole. "We lack funding to provide for statisticians and on that note, we're looking for volunteers to assist us in this area – if there are any volunteers who want to do the stats for football, please contact our office at 699-687.”
She added, "We sat down with the Chief of EMS Fuapopo Avegalio to determine how we can better serve the injured athletes during competition. The EMS Chief has been very supportive of our program.”
According to Matu'u, the first responders should always be within a team staff and their program, before it’s referred to EMS. She said, "Through ASHSAA requirements, an ASHSAA coach is to be Concussion and First Aid Responder Certified – an injury protocol has been developed to provide coaches with the guidance and action that must be taken within certain measures."
With ASHSAA's Football Season nearby – the action actually started with their 2nd Annual Football Jamboree hosted at the Veterans Memorial Stadium two weeks ago. Matu'u told Samoa News "the annual ASHSAA jamboree is a dress rehearsal for the upcoming season, more like a preseason scrimmage that provides teams an opportunity to test their skills.”
She said, “Additionally, our office utilizes the opportunity to train our football officials in preparation for the upcoming season as well – this year the jamboree also served as a fundraiser for individual schools to raise money for their sports programs.”