Whanganui Chronicle
  • Whanganui Chronicle home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Taranaki
  • National Park
  • Whakapapa
  • Ohakune
  • Raetihi
  • Taihape
  • Marton
  • Feilding
  • Palmerston North

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • New Plymouth
  • Whanganui
  • Palmertson North
  • Levin

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Premium
Home / Whanganui Chronicle

Football: Tex von Kwiatkowski named coach of Whanganui Athletic FC

By Jared Smith
Sports Editor·Whanganui Chronicle·
17 Jan, 2020 04:20 AM4 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Whanganui Athletic FC's Gary Johnston, left, welcomes Tex von Kwiatkowski to the role of head coach for the 2020 season.

Whanganui Athletic FC's Gary Johnston, left, welcomes Tex von Kwiatkowski to the role of head coach for the 2020 season.

Tex is back.

The GJ Gardner Homes Whanganui Athletic 1sts will be ringing in a culture change, far beyond the inclusion of 'h' in their club's name, with the appointment of German-born football coach Tex von Kwiatkowski to the head role for 2020, replacing the departed Jason King.

A local resident since the millennium, von Kwiatkowski has known both considerable success and controversy in football circles from his time at Wanganui City FC, taking control of the 1sts around the mid-2000's, while last being involved with the City Renovators development side a few seasons ago.

Once self-described as "the most hated coach in Whanganui" because of his demand of total commitment to training regimes and repudiation of casual attitudes and "social butterflies" in his teams, von Kwiatkowski felt Athletic now have the right playing mix who can commit to going for the top.

That means success in the Federation League to the point of a genuine crack at qualifying for Central League – making the side a force in the lower North Island on the level of the powerful Wellington clubs.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

A lofty goal, but after WAFC have rebuilt themselves as a viable Federation League side again with season finishes of third, fourth and fifth under King, while club president Peter Czerwonka and others has worked hard to develop a strong Under 19 programme, von Kwiatkowski feels that 20 years of laissez-faire player rule are over.

"Friday's, it was a telephone mission – can you play? Why can't you play?

"Ok, there's family and illness. But don't make it a habit of not coming – that you're missing because of weather or don't feel like it.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"[Now], it's the changes the club wants to do.

"All of a sudden, there's a different approach about how they want to do things.

Discover more

Whanganui's James Musa going back to MLS with Minnesota United

20 Jan 01:04 AM

Football: Whanganui Athletic ready for preseason muster

14 Feb 04:19 AM

"You have to have that [Central League] goal.

"Yes, you can still build youth and development and – we have built a structure on how to do that.

"And under those circumstances, my retirement finished, instead of staying home with my music."

WAFC spokesman Gary Johnston, who managed the Athletic Under 19's alongside coach Czerwonka to a strong performance in October's Napier City Rovers National Youth Tournament, said the club has laid a solid foundation through the King tenure.

Peter Czerwonka slides in to stop Wanganui City FC rival Anthony Bell during the 2018 Charity Cup final. Czerwonka has also worked hard for Whanganui Athletic off the field as club president.
Peter Czerwonka slides in to stop Wanganui City FC rival Anthony Bell during the 2018 Charity Cup final. Czerwonka has also worked hard for Whanganui Athletic off the field as club president.

The club approached von Kwiatkowski and were well aware of his views on commitment and discipline being paramount, as well as a desire to introduce more on-field structure.

Johnston said the club will have three travelling squads this season; the 1sts in Federation League, the 2nds in the Premiership, as well as a Youth team – as Zeb Small and Steve Meredith have done a lot of work at Under 16 level.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"We've got something to build on now, we felt we have a large group of committed players."

WAFC's women's side will also continue to be a feeder into the Team Ritesh Whanganui team, who found their footing last year in their third season of the Women's Federation League.

As well as the 2019 squad members, von Kwiatkowski said he has been in contact with other players interested in coming to Athletic, while there was an invited muster held on Thursday night for the players who will make up the 1sts and 2nds.

Being a "black or white" guy, von Kwiatkowski admitted he saw a couple of worried faces as he went over the expectations for the year, but all those players attending signed an agreement that outlined what is required of them.

"Working with those ones, bring it on. It will work," he said.

Wanting to make sure he gets to know all the players before the preseason gets under way, von Kwiatkowski has set a deadline of January 28 for interested personnel to sign up for the competitive-level teams.

The lengthy injury break for striker Ryan Holden was a real set back for Athletic in their 2019 Federation League campaign.
The lengthy injury break for striker Ryan Holden was a real set back for Athletic in their 2019 Federation League campaign.

In the 2019 season, Athletic finished with an 8-3-5 record in League play, where they became a defence-oriented squad after losing key striker Ryan Holden to injury for six games.

For the 11-team grade, Athletic had only the seventh-best scoring record (33 goals) but maintained the second-best defensive record (20), behind only unbeaten champions Havelock North Wanderers.

Shaan Stuart returned from his soccer scholarship in the USA to be a crucial defender for the Athletic side.
Shaan Stuart returned from his soccer scholarship in the USA to be a crucial defender for the Athletic side.
Save

    Share this article

    Reminder, this is a Premium article and requires a subscription to read.

Latest from Sport

Whanganui Chronicle

Endurance ace ready for 'Wimbledon' of trail running

Sponsored Stories

Rugby: Marist Knights seize senior title

Sponsored Stories

Rugby: One point in it as Taihape edge Kaierau


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

Endurance ace ready for 'Wimbledon' of trail running
Whanganui Chronicle

Endurance ace ready for 'Wimbledon' of trail running

'I’m doing it again to compete in it, rather than just complete it.'

15 Jul 05:00 PM
Rugby: Marist Knights seize senior title
Sponsored Stories

Rugby: Marist Knights seize senior title

14 Jul 05:00 PM
Rugby: One point in it as Taihape edge Kaierau
Sponsored Stories

Rugby: One point in it as Taihape edge Kaierau

14 Jul 05:00 PM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Whanganui Chronicle e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Whanganui Chronicle
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP