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East Auckland’s Fencibles United AFC’s players and coaches are looking to build on last season, which was one of the most successful and exciting in the club’s history.
Club chairman Aaron Carson says registrations for the upcoming season are now open with record numbers of juniors and youth players joining.
Their men’s first team won promotion to the Northern League competition and finished as the top TDP Elite club for the second year running.
Carson says that continued success isn’t down to luck.
“Over the last five years we’ve worked extremely hard off the pitch to make sure the correct foundations were set so we can then deliver the right experiences for our members.
“A lot of people focus on how our men’s or women’s first teams are performing.
“However, that’s only a small part of who we are as we have thousands of members each year aged four to 84 who are just playing to have fun and to learn the game.
“It’s vital we make sure they’re looked after.”
Carson says the club has been impacted over the past 18 months by the construction of the Eastern Busway public transport project along Ti Rakau Drive.
A new bus stop has removed some of the club’s field space so it had to rotate its number-one field. The club’s Ian Davies, known as Taffy, took the lead on the project for Fencibles.
“At the start we were just looking to rotate the grass pitch, but with our club numbers exploding we needed a better solution,” he says.
“We pushed hard for an all-weather turf pitch with lights.
“The Eastern Busway team along with the local council were fantastic to work with and agreed something special was needed.
“They pushed forward and have built a wonderful turf field with lights that allows an additional 40-plus hours of field use each week.
“Effectively, another 60-plus teams per week can now enjoy training or playing on a great pitch rather than tearing up muddy bogged grass fields.”
Several key areas are front of mind as the club’s focus moves to the upcoming season, Carson says.
With their men’s first team gaining promotion last year, they’re set to play in the Northern League against the best teams, including Auckland FC, who Fencibles has been drawn to play in the opening game at Riverhills Park under lights.
“This will be a massive night for the club as our men’s first team has the challenge of not only playing in the highest league but also drawing Auckland FC first up, who will also be playing in their first ever Northern League game.
“We couldn’t have asked for a better challenge.”
Secondly, the club’s junior and youth registration numbers are already ahead of last year.
“Our strength is in our junior and youth fun football and each year we attract more and more kids,” Fencibles football manager Darryl Hamilton says.
“It’s great to see so many new kids coming to the club from all backgrounds and ethnicities.
“We are prepared again this year with more volunteers than ever to help them out.”
