Wheres the family planning?
The first obstacle that came to mind was: family. Or as sociologists might pursue, the identity of their athelete. More akin to country folk than the city dwelling they are, most overseas Tongans I know of have a greater identification with the family unit than their equivalent compatriots. Taken to its extremes, sociologists might find some link between the social unit bonding of islanders and their very high propensity for gang involvement. But it is practical to say that this identification by most Tongans I know of, with a social unit (mostly based around the family) is quite alien to the understanding of recruiters. I would hazard to suggest that recent Rugby stars in Australia of Tongan heritage have quite ‘abnormal’ family unit situations than the run-of-the-mill FOB Tongans (Fresh of the Boats) and 1st generation Tonga-Australians. From the outside, it looks like the soccer programs in Europe are hitting the mark with providing a ‘family’ for their proteges. At least with some
