Summer sport and the secondary school year do not mix too well.
New Zealand secondary school sports council executive director Garry Carnachan said in reality secondary schools were very poorly set up for summer sport.
''In term four you have this focus, quite rightly, on exams. Then you have this big long break over summer,'' he said.
''Term one comes around and the first few weeks it is about getting to know your classmates, getting back into the flow of things and then before you know it, it is the end of term one, and summer sport is over.''
Carnachan said there were far more choices for pupils and more event-based games these days.
Winter sports had invented versions of their game to play in summer.
''You look at things like sevens, 3 x 3 basketball, beach volleyball. They are modified versions of other sports but that attracts a lot of pupils.
''They do not want to be committed to a long season, tied into playing every weekend for a long time.''
Winter sports are supposed to be played only in terms two and three but that does not stop sports such as rugby and netball having lengthy pre-seasons, which cut into summer sport.
Top first XVs start training before Christmas and have all-year-round weights sessions.
Many athletes, even at school, concentrate on one sport the entire year.
The sheer number of sports played in summer also affected sports such as cricket and softball which had dominated.
But whatever sports were being played, Carnachan said, at least the pupils were playing and getting some physical exercise.
