Waihī AFC President Richard James said the club has been able to grow despite the setbacks. Photo / Mark Taylor, Waikato Times
Waihī AFC President Richard James said the club has been able to grow despite the setbacks. Photo / Mark Taylor, Waikato Times
A decade of playing at a temporary home is nearing a close for Waihī AFC.
A new football field and lights are slated to be ready for the 2027 season at the Waihī sports hub, meaning both the two senior men’s and the senior women’s sides will no longer haveto play their “home games” at Waihī College.
It follows a raft of upgrades for the sports hub, offering operational and financial stability from the Hauraki District Council (HDC) after a tumultuous period.
Although a new board was elected in January 2025, HDC took control of services at the park as well as its buildings, fronting $495,000 in funding.
AFC president Richard James said the club had grown even with “three quarters of a resource” but added it had been logistically difficult.
“It’s really been 10 years of downs ... we’re very thankful to the college for letting us use their fields because if we didn’t, well, we wouldn’t be functioning,” he said.
“There’s just a lot more administrative work, and behind what should be a simple task of where you show up to a ground, get changed, play, clean up [and] enjoy the afters.”
James said the investment is long overdue, confidently saying the club had been working with the least amount of facilities in the region while being at a higher level of competition than anyone.
“Last year we finished second and the year before it was third, so we’re finishing up there but with a lack of facilities, how do you get players to the next level? Just imagine if the players who are achieving this at the moment could actually train at night and see the ball.“
Like many clubs, James believed the upgrades were “dead in the water” once the trust folded, but with its revitalisation and Adams coming aboard, developments have become more concrete.
“Mayor Toby Adams came along and said ‘we need to make sure this gets done, and in the right way’ ... for my dealings with him, it’s been great.”
There has been back and forth in terms of the design process, as the delivery of one field and new lights will be the “bare minimum”, James said.
At the start of the project, the club’s understanding was that they would receive two full-sized fields.
Toby Adams is also the chairman of the trust. Photo / Kelly Hodel, Waikato Times
Adams said all cuts made for the sports hub came down to fitting within budget, leading to some challenging decisions of how to divvy up the pie.
“We’ve tried to make sure that everyone’s got a bit of something ... while it’s not all ideal and perfect just yet, everyone’s got a home, which is fantastic for them.
“Whenever you invest in an asset, the more people use it the better off that is for everybody.”
One of the completed projects includes a new clubhouse for the Waihī Bowls Club, with president Kay Scahill saying she thought the club “was going to die” after the project was basically abandoned.
Now, she’s “positive about our future”, again citing the work of the mayor as critical.
Kay Scahill said previous members are coming back now the clubhouse is operational. Photo / Mark Taylor, Waikato Times
“My kudos goes to the mayor for what he did for us and I’ll never forget it ... he was amazing.”
Once the football field is operational, James said the field will create a sense of belonging that has been sorely missed.
“It opens up a whole lot more options as well; you have your field there, your changing rooms there, you’re not restricted to a certain time you can play.”
– LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.
