A football club has been set up to create better pathways for children in the Ruapehu area who want to give the sport a go.
Luke Paynter created Ruapehu United Football Club (RUFC) in mid-March after discovering the level of talent and enthusiasm kids in the Ohakune area hadfor football.
“I just noticed that there were tonnes of kids that really loved the game and that were pretty handy,” Paynter said.
“I wanted to create an avenue for them to get some Saturday games and something for them to go to when they leave primary school.”
RUFC will submit a high school-aged boys’ team to play in the Whanganui Saturday competition this year and potentially field a girls’ team too.
Ruapehu College has a team that, for the first time last year, entered the Trident Football Tournament, which was the first taste of competitive football for all but three of the team members.
Opportunities to play competitive football before and after high school are limited in the region.
RUFC is offering skill development training once a week for primary school children and running competitive games, mixing up kids from each school so there is no disparity and enjoyment levels are maintained.
Ruapehu United Football Club aims to remove some of the barriers that have prevented children from playing the sport.
Paynter said the idea had become a reality thanks to the likes of Sarah Demchey (Sport Whanganui’s healthy active learning community connector for Ruapehu), Ohakune Primary School teacher Mia Foskin, Ruapehu College deputy principal Michael Darmody and local schools.
Paynter’s motivation was driven by his two sons’ passion for the game. He wants other youngsters to have access to football without going elsewhere.
“At the end of the day, it’s about us creating a platform for them to play a sport they love and remove some of the barriers that have previously prevented them from playing,” Paynter said.
“With a number of other small schools around us, there are even more barriers for them; you’ve got gear, finding parents who have the time and availability - there is a bunch of really talented, athletic kids that don’t have a tonne of pathways or options.”
Paynter said based on feedback, it was likely the club would be able to field a girls’ team, thanks to the work of Demchey.
“It’s fantastic because there has been a lot of work done to really build the women’s football scene in the area so it is looking really positive around us being able to build something for everyone,” he said.
RUFC will look to field an under-13 team next year and build more teams in the future to give primary school kids something to aim for and look forward to.
“It’s creating that pathway, that pipeline for our kids to come up from primary school, get their skills developed, enjoy kicking a ball around and if they really love it, they can say, ‘I am all go with this’,” he said.
