The bottom four teams in this year’s National League are also the quartet who are supporting New Zealand Football’s youth development push the most in game-time.
Under NZF regulations, each club must ensure a minimum of 10 per cent of playing time is given to under-20 players (aged under 20 on January 1 of that season) on its roster.
As the 10 competing clubs prepare for this weekend’s final-round action, match-minute counts reveal Wellington Phoenix Reserves (98 per cent), Petone FC (33 per cent), Auckland United (32 per cent) and Napier City Rovers (31 per cent) have provided the highest percentage of match minutes to under-20 players.
And with eight rounds played, those clubs sit 8th, 10th, 7th and 9th respectively on the points table.
On the flip side, the three clubs who have given the least game-time to under-20 players - Auckland City (13 per cent), Wellington Olympic (12 per cent) and Cashmere Technical (14 per cent) - hold down 1st, 2nd and 3rd place respectively.
Napier City Rovers’ youthful roster includes two 17-year-old schoolboys – Harry Huxford and Tom Speers – who played in last weekend’s loss to 5-0 Eastern Suburbs.
Coach Bill Robertson – whose side faces Auckland United on Saturday in Auckland – said it was great to give youngsters an opportunity at National League level. But it was also a balancing act of ensuring that providing opportunities didn’t come at the expense of results.
“We’re proud of what we’ve done. We’ve provided plenty of opportunities,” Robertson said.
“I think that the stats probably speak for themselves in terms of minutes.
“As a club, we can be proud, especially from a regional Hawke’s Bay point of view, of providing opportunities for young players. That is a success on one level.
“The other side to it is trying to secure wins at National League level. That is something we’re looking to balance out a bit more next year, looking at being even more successful on the field in terms of results ... that’s got to be a priority.”
That’s likely to see more experience spread throughout the squad.
Giving game-time to younger players has been set in regulations since NZF’s last restructuring of its top-tier league systems.
But the merits of it have also been a hot topic of debate within some clubs.
Initially, each team’s starting 11 had to feature two players aged under 20 years.
During last year’s Northern League, Manukau United made a mockery of the policy by subbing off their two starting teens just 13 seconds into a clash against Takapuna. Their replacements scored all Manukau United’s goals in an eventual 3-2 win.
NZF said at the time the move from the Auckland side was against the spirit of the game and fined and suspended its coach. The under-20 rule was later revised for 2023 imposing the minimum 10 per cent game-time rule.
This season, Napier City Rovers’ teenage squad members include Jack Albertini, Oscar Mason, Sam Lack, Alex Mort, Ben Grainey, Huxford and Speers.
Last Saturday’s clash was Huxford’s starting debut – having earlier debuted off the bench - while Speers played his second match off the bench.
Robertson said Napier City Rovers was committed to backing young talent regardless of the minimum 10 per cent time quota. The fact the club was making its second successive appearance in the National League also helped retain rising players in the region.
“If we haven’t got National League football here, we would lose the better players from the region,” he said.
“We feel we obviously have a responsibility to the Hawke’s Bay region to bring National League football here. We’re the only club capable of doing that and we’ve done it for two years running.
“And if we don’t do that, these, these young players don’t get to play at the highest level.”
Napier City Rovers rounded out their 2023 home season with the disappointing 5-0 loss to Eastern Suburbs last Saturday.
The side – which has been depleted by injuries and other unavailabilities as their National League campaign has progressed - was heavily competitive in the first half and trailed 1-0 at the break after a goal from Eastern Suburbs captain Stephen Hoyle.
But frustratingly, they fell away in the second half as the classy Eastern Suburbs side clicked into gear, winning 5-0.
Robertson’s side did have their chances. But after a double strike to Luis Toomey in the 49th and 54th minutes, there was only one side in the match.
It was a winning farewell for Hoyle from Eastern Suburbs, a club the former Napier City Rovers player has been with since 2019. It also gave him “Hoyle Brother Derby” bragging rights over his younger brother and Napier City Rovers captain Jim Hoyle.
Younger players are again set to get opportunities in Napier City Rovers’ season-ending match against Auckland United on Saturday. That includes replacing the injured Christian Leopard, Kaeden Atkins and Mort.
Robertson said the side was determined to finish a lengthy 2023 season on a high.
The priority would be committing to a high-performance level across the board; both as a team and individually.
“It’s a good opportunity for us hopefully to finish the season on a high,” he said. “We want a performance level that gives a good account of ourselves and then the result will be the result.”
Last Saturday’s loss to Eastern Suburbs was also the home game farewell to popular and long-standing team manager Greg Wall.
Wall has decided to move on after a seven-year tenure where aspects of his wide-ranging role have included prepping food for players, driving minivans to away clashes in Wellington during every second week of the Central League, being a confidant for players and handwashing playing and training kit.
He was presented with a framed Napier City Rovers shirt prior to kick-off, with the club describing him as being “an invaluable part of the team and will be sorely missed in the future. A true club legend”.
Neil Reid is a Napier-based senior reporter who covers general news, features and sport. He joined the Herald in 2014 and has 30 years of newsroom experience.
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