FIRST it was baseball. Now it's soccer.

At the 9-a-side national inter-schools junior division soccer finals for students aged 11 and under, the question of age and size again got kicked around.

The issue: Schools' foreign talent schemes.

On Monday, Yangzheng Primary School was up against Kranji Primary School.

It was Yangzheng Primary's first appearance in the soccer finals in over 10 years since the sport was offered by the school.

Their best finish so far? Last year, when they were placed 10th.

But what got some people crying foul was their starting line-up: They had four foreign players in their squad, and most of the players were bigger and taller than their opponents, who were all local.

Unfair?

One parent had earlier written to The New Paper to express her concern with Yangzheng's recruitment of foreign talent. Said the parent, who only identified herself as Sharon: 'It looks like size really matters. The Yangzheng Primary players don't appear to be 11 years old. In fact, they look at least 13.

'I am just concerned as I feel that it is unfair for our kids. Are we developing local talent?'

Kranji Primary's coach and former Balestier youth player, Mr Toni Teo, too, had his doubts.

'I've been involved in soccer within this region long enough these 15 years to know that it is difficult to believe these Yangzheng Primary players are supposed to be 11 and under at that size,' he said.

But Yangzheng Primary's principal, Mrs Jacinta Lim, assured The New Paper that all the school's players meet the age requirements set by the Ministry of Education (MOE).

She also added that the school will maintain 'a good mix' of both foreign and local talent to 'provide opportunities for local students to spar against foreign talents'.

The school registered nine foreign players in its squad of 20 boys. Most of the foreigners are Nepalese.

According to Mrs Lim, the foreign talent from her school has only been fielded in recent years, and foreigners take up vacancies in the school's registration.

'We need to be mindful of sensitivity towards local needs, especially now,' she added, referring to the growing influx of foreign talent here.

Healthy competition

While some parents and coaches who have witnessed Yangzheng Primary's rise in soccer note that the sizes of its foreign players may make their ages questionable, they acknowledge that such speculation is so far unfounded.

Said a parent who only wanted to be known as Madam Lin and whose son was a defender in the Pasir Ris Primary team that Yangzheng Primary defeated 4-3 in the quarter-finals: 'If Yangzheng wins, it's due to their players' effort also.

'If it really was an age issue, then it wouldn't be fair. But it appears that there are those complaining who are being too competitive.'

Madam Rafeah Awang, 37, whose son claimed a golden boot for Kranji Primary for being a top scorer in the junior division, agreed.

'These parents who keep complaining may not be familiar with sports and the different types of athletes that can excel.

'If the school says that their players' ages are fine, then these foreigners are a good challenge for local talents,' she said.

But the operations assistant added that as more foreign players get into the local sporting scene, 'it is understandable' that parents of local students feel the need to speak out.

'The best solution is still to have a quota of 2-3 foreigners on a team,' suggested Madam Rafeah.

When contacted by The New Paper last week, the MOE had stated that as 'foreign students are part of the school system, it would not be right to impose a cap on the number of foreign students in each sports team.'

Yangzheng's Mrs Lim, however, pointed out: 'Given a school's autonomy, we would want to exercise equal opportunities for all students, and if I have a fully-foreign team, what happens to locals?

'Even if ours is a system based on meritocracy, we would want a solid policy in place that would ensure a minimal 50-50 spread of both. The bottom line is that locals will never be disadvantaged.'

As for the players themselves, those like Yangzheng's right-back Aloysius Lee, feel that their foreign team-mates are invaluable to the team's growth.

Said the 10-year-old: 'They're bigger than me and stronger, and they encourage me to play better and together, we help to push the team.'

Ironically, on Monday, the team with the bigger players lost - Kranji Primary beat Yangzheng Primary School 3-1 to claim the crown.

Perhaps, size doesn't matter much after all.

Hoe Pei Shan, newsroom intern

This article was first published in The New Paper.