Northern United Hamilton's Joshua Barrymore-Uden takes on Manurewa AFC. Photo / George Novak
Northern United Hamilton's Joshua Barrymore-Uden takes on Manurewa AFC. Photo / George Novak
Around 700 young footballers have swarmed into Gordon Spratt Reserve, showcasing their talents at the annual Pāpāmoa Football Club Junior Tournament.
The tournament held on Sunday included five grades for teams from eighth to 12th grade and event co-ordinator Simon Bevin says he is impressed with the level of playat the competition.
"It was a great day and the kids had a lot of fun and that is what the focus is on – getting lots of kids out there playing football, enjoying themselves and learning," Bevin says.
"The standard of the play was great as was the support from the parents. It is a big commitment for families to travel, we had several teams from North Harbour and Auckland."
The best-placed Tauranga team was the Blue Rovers team who won the eighth-grade final against Western Springs.
Hamilton club Northern United won the 11th grade and coach Ali Hill was rapt with his team's performance.
"We really enjoyed the tournament and it was played in the right sprit and we enjoyed the opportunity to play different teams," Hill said.
"I am really proud of the players and they worked really hard. They started well and managed to maintain the effort required to win those games. They were determined to do well and they had a good mindset."
Laura Bennett of Northern United takes on Manurewa AFC Northern United Hamilton. Photo / George Novak
Bevin says the event is pretty big task behind the scenes.
"It is the club's single largest fundraising event and the money helps run the club through the year, to provide gear and equipment for all of our teams. Club membership is around 900 and it grows between 80-130 members each year at the moment."
Bevin says the tournament's success prompts teams to return each year. Teams that made finals played seven 20-minute games throughout the day in what Bevin says can be intense games.
"All the feedback we get back from the participants is really positive. We always get ideas about how we could do things differently, the main suggestions are around the format. It is a long day for the kids. It is striking that balance between having enough games and them not getting overly tired."
The club will also run a girls' only tournament on August 18.
Pāpāmoa Football Club Junior Tournament results: Eighth grade: Winners: Blue Rovers (Tauranga) Runners-up: Western Springs (Auckland) Ninth grade: Winners: East Coast Bays (North Harbour) Runners-up: Forrest Hill (North Harbour) 10th grade: Winners: East Coast Bays (North Harbour) Runners-up: Birkenhead (North Harbour) 11th Grade: Winners: Northern United (Hamilton) Runners-up: Manurewa (Auckland) 12th grade: Winners: East Coast Bays (North Harbour) Runners-up: Fencibles (Auckland)
