Bullied league player returns to field
An 11-year-old boy who endured sideline abuse over his size and weight during a league match two years ago is ready to return to the game he loves.
Eljae Pukeiti-Mara, who played for the Manurewa Marlins in south Auckland, was criticised by parents of his own team-mates who called him ‘‘big boy’’ during a junior match in 2016.
His mother, Rochelle Mara, was rocked by the comments made about her son and took to social media to vent her frustrations at the time.
The Facebook post gained more than 140,000 likes and 17,000 comments.
‘‘As a parent, the incident hit me harder than it did Eljae,’’ she said.
‘‘I was often bullied as a child so to have to witness my own child face these same issues was heartbreaking. The fact that these comments came from adults was even worse.’’
After the incident in 2016 Eljae’s confidence took a hit, Mara said.
He would try to withdraw from school activities, such as camp, and became very shy, she said.
‘‘I don’t think people realise how much of an effect even the smallest comments have, especially on our kids.’’
Almost two years later Mara still received messages from parents all around the world telling her about their own children and the battles they were facing similar to Eljae’s, she said.
In August last year, footage emerged online of a seven-year-old boy - roughly double the size and weight of other players on the field - playing league and strolling through defenders.
In the aftermath, cruel comments posted online resulted in the boy’s parents pulling him out of the sport all together.
‘‘That story really hit home with us,’’ Mara said.
‘‘I still strongly believe some parents put an unfair amount of pressure on children to perform instead of allowing them to just play the game and enjoy it and because of this, the atmosphere around sporting events just isn’t the same.’’
Eljae stepped away from the game following the 2016 season and he and mother Rochelle moved from Auckland to Palmerston North.
Now settled in his new city, Eljae said he was ready to return to the field.
He was on the hunt for a new club and wanted to prove that he deserved to be out there playing just as much as any other kid, Mara said.
Sport NZ chief executive Peter Miskimmin said everyone involved in weekend sport had a responsibility to ensure the experience was positive for all involved.
‘‘It’s unacceptable that some adults abuse players and officials.’’
Bad sideline behaviour could turn young people off sport altogether, he said.
‘‘That would be extremely sad, because sport should actually enrich their lives,’’ he said.