“We all feel really fortunate to be a part of something so special.”

 

Winning anything in sport is a great feeling. In football, nothing quite beats the feeling of working hard over the course of a season and taking out the title!

How great would it feel if your team won the title, were promoted into a higher division, then went ahead and won ANOTHER title in your new division?! Now imagine you get promoted AGAIN and sit on top of the table in your new division?

That's the story of Waiuku FC’s Women's Team!

Over the past few years they have had a meteoric rise up the divisions. Read their story full of hard work, passion, camaraderie and lots of laughs below! ⬇️

🔵 Give us a run down of your team's story. How have you risen up the divisions?

Waiuku football has a real tradition for a social atmosphere and a huge passion for football and for our club. Over the last 3 or 4 years the ladies component of the club have always led the way in this regard. Last year when coach Dave took over from club coaching legend Brett Toner, the ladies went out with a real goal to win the Div 3 title and earn promotion. Confidence grew as the year progressed and the results came week after week. After grinding out some tough games and hard fought wins, the title was ours and we had earned promotion. This result sparked new interest with some players looking at returning from other clubs and with that interest our numbers grew from 16 to over 30. This allowed us to field 2 teams for the 2020 season, a fully competitive team and a social team. With 2 training sessions a week and more targeted sessions and team building, the team quickly gelled and again the results started to follow once more. We started this season hoping to get a gauge on what standard we would have to step up to and we have been pleasantly surprised with the results we have achieved and the way the team has gelled thus far.

The team is 100% committed, competitive and most of all they love playing football.

🔵 What is the team culture like?

The culture in the team this season is really united, there is no one superstar or hero player, but rather everyone is considered equal and everyone has an opportunity for their voice to be heard which has been huge for keeping that team unity going strong.  On the field it means communication is a strength and the players are always in support of one another to shut down the opposition in defence, and work together on attack, putting into action the strategies and plays that Coach Dave Schofield comes up with. 

The beauty of this team is that they are all willing to learn and improve wherever they can, everyone’s input is listened to, discussed and respected, as coach Dave says “coaching is easy when you have a team that wants to be coached and is committed to improve both personally and as a team”. We have some brilliant leadership across the pitch, led from the back by Captain Harmony Allen, in the mid-field team, stalwart and previous season’s captain Leeanne Schofield, and up front  by Vice-Captain and pocket-rocket Ashley Barnett who has experience at Conference level which is invaluable.

The girls come from all walks of life, from students to working mums and everything in between, and the great thing about having that diversity in lifestyles as well as cultures and ages, is that we have a real appreciation for the different experience each and every player brings to the table. It also means we are never short of supporters on the sidelines with all the kids, husbands, partners, parents and pets that come along to our games week after week to cheer us on.

🔵 How have players come together? Is it the same core group, or have players come and gone?

As mentioned previously, this team is for the most part made up of players who have worked their way up the divisions as part of the Waiuku Women’s team of days gone by.  Over the last few years as interest in the sport locally has grown, and particularly after our success winning Div 3 last year, we have been extremely fortunate to be able to field 2 teams in the ARF Competition this year.  Our top side being the competitive team, and our Div 4 side being more of a social side, and helping to develop those newer players skills so that there is the opportunity for them to rise up to the top team if they wanted to.  As such, some of our Div 3 winning players from last season opted to go into the social Div 4 side this year, and we have been able to fill those positions with some really strong talent in the form of those who have come through the College system in particular the Asafo sisters Savarna, Mere & Lilli, as well as some imports who have moved to Waiuku.  

One of the exciting prospects is that a lot of the women’s team this year have kids who are playing or starting to play, which is great for the family culture at the club, but also really promising for the future of the Women’s game in Waiuku.  And I think there is a real appreciation for what the ongoing success of this team brings to the club. 

🔵 What are the funniest or most memorable stories from your team's journey?

There’s a few moments that stand out:

• In the 2018 season, midfielder Leeanne Schofield who was captain at the time, copped 3 balls directly to the face in one match, one of which was from her own teammate (current team manager Emma Walworth).  They hit with so much force they literally knocked her to the deck, but each time she bounced back up and carried on, although I think the phrase, with a smile “you bleepn’ B_ _ _ _' ' may have popped out on the last one from her teammate.  She was fortunate not to have a concussion, but it just epitomises Leeanne as a player, she is really determined and dogged and she never quits.

• Left-Wing Brie Mercer has developed a signature move where no ball is too high, and her attempts to bring the ball down from the air with this move have provided many amusing/shocking moments for the team, opposition and spectators alike.  Not helped by the fact she wears her shorts Steve Urkel style!

• There was also a match a couple of seasons ago where Coach at the time, Brett Toner, whose daughter Molly plays Left Back for the team, was ordered from the grounds by the ref in a closely fought win against Bucklands Beach, the look on his face for the rest of the game was like a toddler who had been sent to the naughty step.  He certainly has copped his fair share from irate supporters in his own time as a linesman or ref, so we hope one day he learns his lesson…although we won’t hold our breaths.

• Captain and Centre Back Harmony Allen, is no stranger to bearing all her skills in the pursuit of maintaining the defensive line, but she took it one step further in one game, committing to a slide tackle for the ball and bearing more than just skill.  Unfortunately for her, her shorts caught along the ground and as the momentum carried her along, her shorts made their way up to expose her trendy Tradie-G-String for all to see! 

What have you learned as a team and individuals as a result of this achievement?

The success of winning Div 3 last season, and the pleasantly surprising success so far this season with leading Div 2, has really demonstrated the importance of team culture.  You can’t continue to evolve and succeed without a strong and united team culture, so anything that jeopardises that needs to be addressed quickly, and that’s something the leadership team of this squad manage exceptionally well.  Given the upheaval and uncertainty this season with regard to Covid and cancellations of training sessions due to field closures from typically inclement Auckland weather, maintaining that team unity and bond has been challenged. 

 But I think we have really risen to that challenge by adapting and finding other ways to keep the team focussed and on course;  whether that be by keeping in regular contact with each other through social media, or whiteboard sessions at the coaches place over pizza (and wine).  

What that equates to on the field when we play is a real unit, where everyone gives it 110% every week, and no one wants to let their teammates down.  It makes for some really skilful and compelling football to watch and I think if we continue along this path and continue to foster the talent pool coming up through the local College, then the future of Women’s football in Waiuku is looking extremely promising and we all feel really fortunate to be a part of something so special.

Article added: Wednesday 09 September 2020