“We’re not winding up the club. We’ll sit dormant this year and if the situation changes next year, we’ll look at it again.”
Difference of opinionUre said the main reason for the decision not to enter a team next year was “a difference of opinion” between what the board and senior players wanted.
“The Team Gisborne concept — first mooted five years ago, with the team being formed four years ago — was to field a composite team and provide a pathway to bigger and better things for players who were 15 to 20 years old.
“Our idea of success was to be measured in providing opportunities for young players in the district to play at a higher level and advance their football careers to bigger centres, and possibly even the United States.
“As a player, winning games and the championship was always a goal but the bigger picture was to aspire players to play national league football.
“Being realistic, that’s not going to happen here in the near future. The senior players wanted to take the team to the next level, the Federation League, particularly after winning the Pacific League three times in the past four years, and you can’t fault them for that.
“The board fully understand where the players are coming from. Playing in the Federation League would be the next logical step but it would also involve more commitment from players, more travelling time, more time away from families and more overnight stays . . . which means more money.
Sustainability at the coreThe real issue was sustainability, he said.
They did not want the situation arising of them entering the Federation League only to be forced to pull out halfway through the season because players were struggling to commit to travelling. This had been a problem in the winters months in recent seasons.
Ure said not going up to the next level went “against the grain” for him as a player.
“My attitude would have been to say ‘let’s go up’ and then make it work. But I fully support the board’s decision.
“We started the meeting by asking each board member what they were there for, who were they here for and what did we want to do.
“The initial concept was for the younger players and we’ve had some success — players such as Cheauxyan Maukau-McPhee, Josh Harris, Corey Adams and others who have played outside the district. We’re not taking all the credit for that but they got to play in our environment, and learned from playing alongside senior players.
“The board also investigated the possibility of a joint effort with Gisborne Boys’ High School to have more students playing at a higher level (Pacific Premiership) and helping their development. Unfortunately the board and Boys’ High could not agree terms.”
Ure said Central Federation officials were disappointed Team Gisborne were not going to enter a team next year.
“They like the concept of Team Gisborne. They could see what we were trying to achieve.”
