Cambridge v Te Awamutu Football
With one of their own near the top of the goalscoring charts in the English Premier League, it was no surprise to see two Cambridge Football Club junior musters being busy affairs.
Back row: Paul Christopher (coach), Shane Hobern, Stephen Stone, Mark Ryan.
Second row: Christopher Wood, Christopher Symons, Brendan Symonds, Charl Gelant.
Front row: Daniel King, Richard O’Shaughnessy, Ryan Christopher, Jason Ross, Malcolm Matthews.
Absent: Ben Walter, Daniel Fitter. Munro Burgess Kodak Express.
The Saturday muster for boys and mixed teams attracted about 120 children from ninth to 14th grade and there were more on Monday when the girls’ muster was held for under-12, Under-14 and the new WaiBop Under-16 league teams.
The club’s men’s and women’s teams both won promotion to the Northern League at the end of last season and interest has been kept high with Chris Wood, once of Cambridge and Hamilton Wanderers, starring for surprise package Nottingham Forest.
“Our girls’ football programme exploded in numbers last year doubling from six teams to 12 which was super exciting and this year we are thrilled to be offering a further development pathway for our dedicated girls’ teams with an U12 & U14 development team,” club spokesperson Selina Oliver said.
Ricki Herbert
The musters have been supported by former All White and All White coach Ricki Herbert, the club’s director of football. He provided coaches from his RH3 Academy to run the muster events. Club registrations are open for another 10 days.
Club boys and mixed academy teams are already formed and in training ahead of news leagues starting in April.
The club is also continuing a successful mentoring programme – a first in Waikato – where members of the club’s top women’s team are paired with 12-14 year old junior players.
Clubs like Cambridge Football, which recently celebrated its 75th anniversary, have invested heavily into infrastructure. Photo: Mary Anne Gill.
