Chris Wood celebrates becoming the top International goal scorer during New Zealand All Whites v Fiji at Suheim bin Hamad Stadium. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Chris Wood celebrates becoming the top International goal scorer during New Zealand All Whites v Fiji at Suheim bin Hamad Stadium. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Another chapter has been added to Chris Wood's remarkable legacy to football in this country.
Wood recently became the top scorer for the All Whites and will be spearheading the World Cup qualification hopes in June – now his prowess in English football could be transformational for two of hisformer domestic clubs.
Cambridge Football club and Hamilton Wanderers FC are set to receive a massive windfall, in the wake of Wood's move to Newcastle United in January.
The Herald understands that the Waikato clubs are in line for payments in the "hundreds of thousands" from the Premier League outfit, under Fifa's solidarity payments system, set up to compensate junior clubs for the training and education put into players from the age of 12 and up, if they eventually become professional.
The All Whites striker transferred from Burnley to Newcastle three months ago, with the Magpies looking to strengthen their squad to avoid a relegation battle.
The fee wasn't officially disclosed, but was in the region of $47 million, which was estimated as the buyout clause in Wood's Burnley contract and has a considerable trickle-down impact.
It's believed that Cambridge and Hamilton will both receive significant six-figure sums.
After first kicking a ball with Onehunga Sports in Auckland, Wood joined Cambridge as an 11-year-old when his family moved to the rural town.
He came through the grades, before making his first team debut as a lanky 14-year-old in the 2006 Northern League season.
Chris Wood celebrates with Winston Reid as he becomes the top International Scorer during New Zealand All Whites v Fiji. Photo / Photosport.co.nz
Wood later moved to Hamilton Wanderers, scoring 16 senior goals for the club, before getting his move to England, joining the West Bromwich Albion academy as a 17-year-old after impressing on trial in 2008.
Since then Wood has amassed a remarkable record in English professional football, with more than 150 senior goals.
He was a consistent scorer for Millwall, Birmingham City, Brighton and Leicester City, with 20 goals in 62 games for the Foxes. Wood then had two amazing seasons for Leeds in the Championship (44 goals in 88 games), before getting his Premier League opportunity with Burnley in 2017.
The All Whites marksman came to national attention at Turf Moor, with four consecutive double-digit scoring seasons.
That resume attracted Newcastle's interest and has resulted in a special dividend for two of his former clubs.
"For us it is club-changing," Wanderers chairman David Douglas told the Weekend Herald. "We don't have a lot of money floating around, it is bloody tough out there. We have great relationships with funders and sponsors but it is tough enough, without Covid being around, so this is a huge boost."
Douglas said the funds would be put towards a project to renovate the existing clubrooms, as well as a new facility to allow more of the junior football to be played at their Porritt Stadium home ground, rather than at a satellite field a few kilometres away.
"Hopefully we can have all of our junior academy sessions right outside the front of the club, which is a great experience for junior players and parents," said Douglas.
"If we can make that experience really cool, we can lock them in for a long time and strengthen the pull to our club."
Chris Wood of Newcastle United scores a goal to make it 1-1 during the Premier League match between Southampton and Newcastle United. Photo / AP
Douglas said the club's gratitude towards Wood is immeasurable.
"We are hoping we can get on a call with him, to thank him and his parents and work through how it is going to be used, because it is certainly not going to be frittered away on day-to-day stuff," said Douglas.
"We want something that we can look back in years to come - it is legacy for us. We need to make sure we do the right things with it and we do the right things by Chris as well, because this doesn't arrive without all of his efforts."
The payout will also be monumental for Cambridge, one of the biggest junior clubs in the Waikato.
"It's absolutely massive for us," said a club official, who admitted it would dwarf any money raised throughout sponsorship and funding in a typical year.
Like Wanderers, Cambridge are determined that the financial injection will have a significant long term impact. Plans are in place for new lighting to be erected across several junior fields, as well as long awaited redevelopment and new drainage across the main complex.
