Katikati Football Club history
Back then it was called “soccer”, but in 1973, football players in Katikati got together to form what is now Katikati Football Club (KKFC).
From modest beginnings, with a few junior teams and eventually a senior men’s team in the local Saturday league, the club has grown this beautiful game into one of Katikati’s most popular sports.
The sport of football in general got a boost after New Zealand’s successful participation in the 1982 Fifa World Cup in Spain, meaning local clubs like KKFC were naturally boosted as well.
Junior numbers started to grow as boys and girls from local primary schools and Katikati College joined the club.
The men’s team, however, suffered from the “kiwifruit curse”, with players often being unavailable during picking season.
By the late 1980s the Saturday team no longer seemed viable, but KKFC launched a Sunday men’s social league in the early 1990s — a competition still going strong to this day.
Early in the new millennium, a Saturday men’s team again entered the local competition and the Sunday team was joined by a social women’s team and a second men’s team.
Summer football for a time was attracting about 300 participants on Wednesday evenings in Term 4, and football became part of Katikati Community Centre’s school holiday programme.
Despite setbacks during the Covid-19 pandemic, the club’s playing numbers are now as strong as ever.
The Details
What: Free family fun day
Where: Moore Park
When: February 24 from 1pm-3pm
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What: Evening event for adults (16-plus)
Where: The Club
When: February 24 from 6.45pm
Tickets: $20 - visit www.katikatifc.co.nz
