On the rise: Te Anau experiences junior football boom
"We had about 30-40 kids, and that’s risen to about 120 over the last three to four years, there has been massive support.”
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By Jerrie Valli
Te Anau is kicking goals both on and off the field, with junior football enjoying a major revival. Junior numbers have more than tripled in recent years, and for the first time in ten years, Te Anau is fielding teams in the junior Southland-wide competition.
It’s all stemmed from strong community and volunteer support, the backing of Southland Football – and an increasing number of kids who simply love the game.
For more than 10 years local volunteers have run winter football sessions at the school focused on skill development, friendly games, fun and development.
Te Anau Football Club coordinator Stef Braaksma explains the progression: “Football has just been rising in numbers in Te Anau. We had about 30-40 kids, and that’s risen to about 120 over the last three to four years, there has been massive support.”
“Over the last two years we entered teams in the Old Boys Junior Football Festival in Invercargill. The kids loved it and competed really well and we just thought why not get them involved in the Southland-wide competition.”
This season Te Anau has two 11th grade and one 14th grade team in the competition and they’re backed by a truly collaborative effort.
There is strong volunteer and parent support. Current and former senior players have stepped in as coaches, while parents have been on board to support with carpooling and other logistics. Local volunteers, such as Stef, have handled everything from uniforms to coordinating equipment and game day needs.
Southland Football were on board from the start, eager to support the growth of the game in Te Anau and allowing them two home games a month, thereby limiting their travel to every second week.
Funders including the Fiordland Community Board and the Kepler Challenge Mountain Run Trust have supported the purchase of proper goals and other equipment, which has allowed Te Anau to host official matches.
And the players are thriving with regular competition, skills are improving and they are genuinely enjoying the game. There’s already talk of up to five junior teams for next year’s competition, and the process to formalise the club is on the cards.
Football Development Officer Ryan Gardiner said it was fantastic having Te Anau teams in the competition.
“It creates a wider range of opposition in Southland for our junior players,” he said.
“Within Southland there is often lots of travel involved in community sport, but it’s great to see all clubs willing to travel to Te Anau to play football.”
Football Southland Development and Operations Manager Iain Walker the Junior Committee was supportive from day one.
“They went out of their way to find solutions around travel offering various different ways in which we could support. Our member clubs suggested the bi-weekly travel. We have a very positive, solutions-based committee - this puts us in a very healthy position and is another reason why we are experiencing growth in our game.”
“I watched the Under 14 team play recently at Waikiwi Domain in Invercargill and can say first hand that they are definitely enjoying the experience.”