Waikato FC
Encyclopedia
Waikato Football Club, currently known as Yardhouse Waikato Football Club due to sponsorship agreements, is a football (soccer) club based in Hamilton
, New Zealand
. The club was founded in 2004 and currently play in the ASB Premiership. Waikato FC play their home fixtures at Fred Jones Park, the secondary pitch at Waikato Stadium
.
The club is the regional representative for Waikato-Bay of Plenty Football, and has previously played home fixtures in Rotorua
and Mount Maunganui
, both in the Bay of Plenty
region. Between 2008 and 2010, Waikato FC was based at Centennial Park
in Ngaruawahia
, having before that played at Waikato Stadium.
Waikato's first ever competitive game was away at YoungHeart Manawatu
, which they won convincingly 4-0 sending them straight to the top of table. Unfortunately they only won one of their next nine games, a run which saw them slide down to seventh in the eight-team league. In a dramatic change of fortunes, Waikato went on to win their next five games, including an away win over eventual champions Auckland City
. They only lost two more games during the season and defied pre-season predictions by claiming third place and a spot in the playoffs' "Elimination Final" against Waitakere United
. Waikato were crushed 4-1 by Waitakare at Trusts Stadium, Auckland
, ending their hopes of Championship victory but claiming overall third place was deemed a good achievement for a team that many expected to finish last.
Craig Flowerday won Waikato's Player' Player of the Year award, and goalkeeper Mark Fulcher won Supporters' Player of the Year. David Samson won the Young Player of the Year Award.
Striker Colin Gardyne won Sky Sports' Goal of the Season award, and was also Waikato FC's joint-top goalscorer along with Brett Derry.
, perhaps was not financially successful, as the gate numbers were not as large as expected, but Rotorua
became a fortress with wins over both Hawke's Bay Utd
and eventual champions Auckland City
.
to manage the club. From the outside everything at the club seemed fine, but internally the club was in financial strife. Just out from the start of the season the club came out and said that it could no longer afford to compete in the NZFC. This created a huge outcry amongst the football fraternity. To make the situation worse for the NZFC, Team Wellington
also publicly announced that it too could no longer afford to take part in the competition.
With the prospect of no Waikato/Bay Of Plenty
representation at national level, and also the fear that the NZFC would collapse, various people in the football community stepped in to help, some of the most notable being people such as Gordon Glen-Watson who had played top level football in New Zealand, and Wayne Bates, a Ngaruawahia United AFC
alumni. Anyone costing the club significant sums of money was let go leaving the club with no playing or coaching staff. To help keep the club alive Ngaruawahia United offered Waikato FC their facilities at Centennial Park
for training and playing.
Dave Edmondson, Ngaruawahia United's coach, put his name forward to help the team at no cost and Graham Pearce, formally of Waitakere United
, came on board and very quickly Waikato FC put together a piecemeal team to compete in the NZFC.
The NZFC itself went through a major restructure during this same period to keep Waikato FC and Team Wellington in competition. To keep the costs down, the third round of the competition was culled. This was good news for some clubs but not others, especially teams based in the Auckland
region. As a compensation for them an extended finals was introduced with each team playing home and away.
While Waikato FC did not make the top four and qualify for the playoffs, it was in touch with the leaders throughout the season and had it been lucky enough to pick up a further four points would have qualified for the finals.
Aaron Scott
Michael Utting
Chris Wood
Stanley Waita
Hamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
. The club was founded in 2004 and currently play in the ASB Premiership. Waikato FC play their home fixtures at Fred Jones Park, the secondary pitch at Waikato Stadium
Waikato Stadium
Waikato Stadium is a major sporting and cultural events venue in Hamilton, New Zealand, with a total capacity of 25,800. Four areas contribute to this capacity: The Brian Perry Stand holding 12,000, the WEL Networks Stand holding 8,000, the Goal Line Terrace holding 800 and the Greenzone can hold...
.
The club is the regional representative for Waikato-Bay of Plenty Football, and has previously played home fixtures in Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
and Mount Maunganui
Mount Maunganui
Mount Maunganui is a town in the Bay of Plenty, New Zealand, located on a peninsula to the north of Tauranga. It was independent from Tauranga until the completion of the Tauranga Harbour Bridge in 1988....
, both in the Bay of Plenty
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
region. Between 2008 and 2010, Waikato FC was based at Centennial Park
Centennial Park, Ngaruawahia
Centennial Park is a football venue located in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand. It serves as the home stadium for Ngaruawahia United, and is currently the designated home venue for ASB Premiership side Waikato FC....
in Ngaruawahia
Ngaruawahia
Ngāruawāhia is a town in the Waikato region of the North Island of New Zealand. It is located 20 km north-west of Hamilton at the confluence of the Waikato and Waipa Rivers...
, having before that played at Waikato Stadium.
Current squad
Updated for 2011-12 SeasonStaff
- Head Coach: Declan Edge
- Assistant Coach: Danny Donegan
- Goalkeeper Coach: Neil Mouncher
- Manager: Graham Nobilo
Surprise Top-Three Finish
Waikato's first season in existence was a moderately successful one. Playing in the inaugural season of the New Zealand Football Championship, they managed to finish in third place, after a poor start to the campaign.Waikato's first ever competitive game was away at YoungHeart Manawatu
YoungHeart Manawatu
YoungHeart Manawatu is a football club is based in Palmerston North, New Zealand. It participates in the ASB Premiership and their home ground is Memorial Park.- History :...
, which they won convincingly 4-0 sending them straight to the top of table. Unfortunately they only won one of their next nine games, a run which saw them slide down to seventh in the eight-team league. In a dramatic change of fortunes, Waikato went on to win their next five games, including an away win over eventual champions Auckland City
Auckland City FC
Auckland City Football Club is a football club based in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. The club competes in the eight-team ASB Premiership which is the highest level of domestic football in the country...
. They only lost two more games during the season and defied pre-season predictions by claiming third place and a spot in the playoffs' "Elimination Final" against Waitakere United
Waitakere United
Waitakere United is a football club based in Waitakere City, New Zealand. They are one of the franchises in the ASB Premiership. They play their home games at Fred Taylor Park in Kumeu.-History:...
. Waikato were crushed 4-1 by Waitakare at Trusts Stadium, Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, ending their hopes of Championship victory but claiming overall third place was deemed a good achievement for a team that many expected to finish last.
Craig Flowerday won Waikato's Player' Player of the Year award, and goalkeeper Mark Fulcher won Supporters' Player of the Year. David Samson won the Young Player of the Year Award.
Striker Colin Gardyne won Sky Sports' Goal of the Season award, and was also Waikato FC's joint-top goalscorer along with Brett Derry.
The Second Season - 2005/2006
Despite finishing second bottom of the table, the team showed signs of promise, losing several fixtures by a single goal. Indeed, injuries to key personnel did little to dent the squad's resolve. The move to playing games outside HamiltonHamilton, New Zealand
Hamilton is the centre of New Zealand's fourth largest urban area, and Hamilton City is the country's fourth largest territorial authority. Hamilton is in the Waikato Region of the North Island, approximately south of Auckland...
, perhaps was not financially successful, as the gate numbers were not as large as expected, but Rotorua
Rotorua
Rotorua is a city on the southern shores of the lake of the same name, in the Bay of Plenty region of the North Island of New Zealand. The city is the seat of the Rotorua District, a territorial authority encompassing the city and several other nearby towns...
became a fortress with wins over both Hawke's Bay Utd
Hawke's Bay United
Hawke's Bay United is an association football club based in Napier, New Zealand. HB United play in the ASB Premiership - a semi-professional franchise based league, which runs independently of the winter club season. Local winter clubs provide the player pool for each franchise...
and eventual champions Auckland City
Auckland City FC
Auckland City Football Club is a football club based in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. The club competes in the eight-team ASB Premiership which is the highest level of domestic football in the country...
.
Ngaruawahia to the rescue
For the start of Season Five the Waikato FC made some bold intentions by signing up Kevin FallonKevin Fallon
Kevin Fallon is an English born football coach residing in New Zealand.He started his career with Sligo Rovers in 1967. He played in 102 matches for Sligo in the League of Ireland Championship, the FAI Cup, the Shield, the City Cup and the Blaxnit All-Ireland Cup.He made his debut for Sligo in an...
to manage the club. From the outside everything at the club seemed fine, but internally the club was in financial strife. Just out from the start of the season the club came out and said that it could no longer afford to compete in the NZFC. This created a huge outcry amongst the football fraternity. To make the situation worse for the NZFC, Team Wellington
Team Wellington
Team Wellington are one of the eight franchises in the New Zealand ASB Premiership football competition. They play their home games at Newtown Park, Wellington.- History :...
also publicly announced that it too could no longer afford to take part in the competition.
With the prospect of no Waikato/Bay Of Plenty
Bay of Plenty
The Bay of Plenty , often abbreviated to BOP, is a region in the North Island of New Zealand situated around the body of water of the same name...
representation at national level, and also the fear that the NZFC would collapse, various people in the football community stepped in to help, some of the most notable being people such as Gordon Glen-Watson who had played top level football in New Zealand, and Wayne Bates, a Ngaruawahia United AFC
Ngaruawahia United
Ngaruawahia United AFC is a semi-professional football club in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand. They are competing in the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2.Ngaruawahia United AFC play their home matches at Centennial Park.-Club history:...
alumni. Anyone costing the club significant sums of money was let go leaving the club with no playing or coaching staff. To help keep the club alive Ngaruawahia United offered Waikato FC their facilities at Centennial Park
Centennial Park, Ngaruawahia
Centennial Park is a football venue located in Ngaruawahia, New Zealand. It serves as the home stadium for Ngaruawahia United, and is currently the designated home venue for ASB Premiership side Waikato FC....
for training and playing.
Dave Edmondson, Ngaruawahia United's coach, put his name forward to help the team at no cost and Graham Pearce, formally of Waitakere United
Waitakere United
Waitakere United is a football club based in Waitakere City, New Zealand. They are one of the franchises in the ASB Premiership. They play their home games at Fred Taylor Park in Kumeu.-History:...
, came on board and very quickly Waikato FC put together a piecemeal team to compete in the NZFC.
The NZFC itself went through a major restructure during this same period to keep Waikato FC and Team Wellington in competition. To keep the costs down, the third round of the competition was culled. This was good news for some clubs but not others, especially teams based in the Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
region. As a compensation for them an extended finals was introduced with each team playing home and away.
While Waikato FC did not make the top four and qualify for the playoffs, it was in touch with the leaders throughout the season and had it been lucky enough to pick up a further four points would have qualified for the finals.
NZFC League Positions & Finals Results
A list of Waikato FC's League Placings as well as the NZFC League Champions:| Year | Games | Won | Drawn | Lost | GF | GA | Points | Place | Champion |
| 2004–05 | 21 | 9 | 4 | 8 | 27 | 25 | 31 | 3rd | Auckland City FC Auckland City FC Auckland City Football Club is a football club based in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. The club competes in the eight-team ASB Premiership which is the highest level of domestic football in the country... |
| 2005–06 | 21 | 6 | 4 | 11 | 31 | 44 | 22 | 7th | Auckland City FC Auckland City FC Auckland City Football Club is a football club based in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. The club competes in the eight-team ASB Premiership which is the highest level of domestic football in the country... |
| 2006–07 | 21 | 3 | 5 | 13 | 19 | 45 | 14 | 7th | Auckland City FC Auckland City FC Auckland City Football Club is a football club based in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. The club competes in the eight-team ASB Premiership which is the highest level of domestic football in the country... |
| 2007–08 | 21 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 24 | 34 | 20 | 5th | Waitakere United Waitakere United Waitakere United is a football club based in Waitakere City, New Zealand. They are one of the franchises in the ASB Premiership. They play their home games at Fred Taylor Park in Kumeu.-History:... |
| 2008–09 | 14 | 6 | 1 | 7 | 19 | 22 | 19 | 6th | Auckland City FC Auckland City FC Auckland City Football Club is a football club based in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. The club competes in the eight-team ASB Premiership which is the highest level of domestic football in the country... |
- 2004-05: Waikato FC played Waitakere UnitedWaitakere UnitedWaitakere United is a football club based in Waitakere City, New Zealand. They are one of the franchises in the ASB Premiership. They play their home games at Fred Taylor Park in Kumeu.-History:...
away in the Preliminary Final losing 4-1. Auckland City FCAuckland City FCAuckland City Football Club is a football club based in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. The club competes in the eight-team ASB Premiership which is the highest level of domestic football in the country...
won the Grand Final 3-2. - 2005-06: Top five sides in the League appeared in Playoffs. Auckland City FCAuckland City FCAuckland City Football Club is a football club based in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. The club competes in the eight-team ASB Premiership which is the highest level of domestic football in the country...
won the Grand Final 4-3 on penalties against Canterbury UnitedCanterbury UnitedCanterbury United FC is an association football club from Christchurch, New Zealand. The club plays most of its matches at English Park in Christchurch, though they occasionally play in Nelson...
after extra time finished 3-3. - 2006-07: Return to Preliminarily and Grand Final only format. Playing the Grand Final at home, Waitakere UnitedWaitakere UnitedWaitakere United is a football club based in Waitakere City, New Zealand. They are one of the franchises in the ASB Premiership. They play their home games at Fred Taylor Park in Kumeu.-History:...
lost 2-3 to Auckland City FCAuckland City FCAuckland City Football Club is a football club based in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. The club competes in the eight-team ASB Premiership which is the highest level of domestic football in the country...
. - 2007-08: Same format as 2006-2007 with Waitakere UnitedWaitakere UnitedWaitakere United is a football club based in Waitakere City, New Zealand. They are one of the franchises in the ASB Premiership. They play their home games at Fred Taylor Park in Kumeu.-History:...
winning 2-0 against Team WellingtonTeam WellingtonTeam Wellington are one of the eight franchises in the New Zealand ASB Premiership football competition. They play their home games at Newtown Park, Wellington.- History :...
at home. - 2008-09: Season reduced to Round Robin format due to various clubs, especially Waikato FC suffering from severe financial difficulties. To compensate for this, a Round Robin top four playoff was introduced with Waitakere UnitedWaitakere UnitedWaitakere United is a football club based in Waitakere City, New Zealand. They are one of the franchises in the ASB Premiership. They play their home games at Fred Taylor Park in Kumeu.-History:...
losing 1-2 to Auckland City FCAuckland City FCAuckland City Football Club is a football club based in Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. The club competes in the eight-team ASB Premiership which is the highest level of domestic football in the country...
at home in the Grand Final.
Notable former players
Marco RojasMarco Rojas
Marco Rodrigo Rojas is a New Zealand association football player who plays as a midfielder for A-League team Melbourne Victory, and for the New Zealand national team.-Wellington Phoenix:...
Aaron Scott
Aaron Scott (footballer)
Aaron James Scott is a New Zealand footballer who plays for NZFC side Waitakere United and has represented New Zealand under 23 at the Olympics and played for the senior side, the All Whites.-International career:...
Michael Utting
Michael Utting
Michael Utting is a New Zealand soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper.-Early years:Utting grew up in Ngaio, Wellington, the youngest of four children. His father is a civil engineer, his mother a nurse; they separated when he was 10. He went to Ngaio School and Nelson College...
Chris Wood
Chris Wood (footballer born 1991)
Christopher "Chris" Grant Wood is a New Zealand footballer who plays for Birmingham City on loan from West Bromwich Albion...
Stanley Waita