In May, the Fifa Under-20 World Cup trophy will be touring New Zealand. Photo / Thinkstock
This time of year is always full of excitement for players and coaches as the season finally kicks off after a summer without kicking a football around. The senior football season gets under way across our region, including in the Bay of Plenty, this weekend. All our men's and women's
draws are up and I know the teams will be ready.
Junior and youth competitions get going after the holidays in term 2, with the weekend of May 10-11 already circled in most diaries. An exciting new initiative being offered by WaiBOP Football for the 2014 season is the chance to sponsor one of our junior competition grades. Over the years, we have been asked by a number of businesses to sponsor the junior draws and competitions on our website. You can find more information about this opportunity on our website www.waibopfootball.co.nz and please contact me to start the conversation.
The ASB Premiership finished recently and WaiBOP United, the franchise representing our region, put in a credible showing. One of the franchise's key figures was head coach Peter Smith who has confirmed he will continue in this role for the 2014/15 season. We had a solid first season in the ASB Premiership and a lot of what we achieved was down to Peter. He built a competitive side that represented our region well. It's important that our key individuals stay involved if we're to run a successful and sustainable organisation so I'm pleased Peter will continue as our head coach as this allows consistency within the team.
In May, the Fifa Under-20 World Cup trophy will be touring New Zealand. Waikato Stadium is one of the match venues, so the trophy will spend a good amount of time in our region.
It will visit nine cities and towns across the area, including Whakatane, Rotorua and Tauranga in the Bay of Plenty.
