Captains Fantastic
Since the formal commencement of association football at Wellington College in 1946, the position of the Football First Eleven captain has been a prestigious and important one. Five Coll captains have gone on to represent New Zealand in FIFA 'A' internationals (the full Internationals that are recognised by the World’s governing body). The 1998 captain, Tim Brown, captained the All Whites in around ten matches including the meritorious 2007 two all draw with Wales, at the 2009 Confederations Cup tournament in South Africa and in the early rounds of the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.
While most of the captains were skippers for a single year, Alan Preston led the Coll Firsts for three consecutive years (1948, 1949 and 1950) commencing his reign as a fifth former (now known as Year 11). Another eleven have captained for two consecutive years.To date, three of the captains have also been the goalkeepers for their teams. The other skippers have come from virtually every position in the outfield but the most popular one for Wellington College captains has been the central defender role (under its different names over the decades).Wellington College 1st XI captains have been far more than nominal armband wearers. They have been heavily involved in team organisation and culture and have been the face of football for their respective years. In some instances such as in the early years and in the 'shadow' years of the mid 1970s, they have been essential links in a chain that has kept the football boys story alive. In at least three instances they have been heavily involved as a coach of their 1st XI team.The captain’s role has been particularly important in recent decades as football has been the largest team sport at Wellington College and the Wellington College Firsts have been the dominant college team in the region and a consistent top performer on the national secondary schools stage.
Captains Fantastic - The 1950's
Captains Fantastic - The 1960's
Captains Fantastic - The 1970's
Captains Fantastic - The 1980's
Captains Fantastic - The 1990's
Captains Fantastic - The 2000's
Captains Fantastic - The 2010's
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