Having dominated the competition for the previous two years, the Te Rarawa Football Club is aiming to secure a three-peat by winning the under-8 division for the third year running when the Kaitaia junior football winter season kicks off later this year.
This year's team is already taking shape and features a mixture of 6- and 7-year-old girls and boys, mostly players who have moved up from the under-6 grade and fresh from a couple of years learning valuable basic skills in New Zealand Footballs First Kicks programme, several completely new to the Beautiful Game, and a pinch of experienced players from last year's campaign.
Coach Ari Takimoana is again planning to teach a relatively unfamiliar group of players how to gel into a winning team as the quest for a hat-trick of titles gets underway.
The team will again play out of the Te Rarawa Football Club (formerly Ahipara Soccer Club) which recently became incorporated and can claim to be the only football club within the KUAFC (Kaitaia United AFC) organisation to have its own home grounds which are fully paid for, facilitated and internally maintained all year round.
The junior Ahipara-based football club, located adjacent to the Te Rarawa rugby fields (access via the driveway on the corner of the Takahe and Tui Streets, opposite the 90 Mile Wood Shop), has been around with varying levels of membership for quite a number of years and has enjoyed much success along the way including several locals - such as Liam Morrogh, Kalani Walters and Brydie Harrison - winning representative honours.
