Marama · LiMON + Marama

An open letter to those on the sidelines: ‘Let’s help our kids enjoy their football’

31 August 2025

Rachel Lilburn has spent eight years on the sidelines of junior football, first in Chile and now in her native New Zealand as her football-mad son follows his passion for the sport. Since returning to New Zealand, she has coached and managed several junior teams, spent a year as the Junior Club Admin for Taupo AFC, and has travelled throughout the country to development camps, games and tournaments. Ahead of the new season, she’s drawn on her observations of junior football and has written this open letter to parents and other adult supporters …

‘Some of my friends think I’m crazy … but here’s why I am a Soccer Mom’

24 August 2025

I’m a proud Soccer Mom* but probably not for the reasons you think. My son lives and breathes football. His dream is to become a professional footballer. For the past seven years, I’ve driven my son to a football-related activity at least once a week — sometimes every day of the week. I’ve put up my hand to coach and manage teams.

Discovering ourselves

24 August 2025

The world has changed a lot since the first AFS student exchanges in 1947. It’s changed a lot since I spent a year in Sucre, Bolivia, in 1994. The internet and technology has fundamentally changed how we connect and communicate; how we learn and how we share our knowledge. But despite the many changes, I believe the fundamental experiences of being an exchange student remain the same.