STEPPING UP: With last season's Western league trophy safe in hand, the Wanganui City Football Club's firsts will step up to Central League this season.PHOTO/FILE
STEPPING UP: With last season's Western league trophy safe in hand, the Wanganui City Football Club's firsts will step up to Central League this season.PHOTO/FILE
THE Wanganui City Football Club's first XI is stepping up its game this season with a move into the Central Federation League.
After taking out the Western Premiership in 2014, the club had something else to prove so entered them into the Central competition.
"Our first team had something ofa rebuild last year," coaching director Kelvin Francis said. "We've had the return of key players, plus the injection of some new blood. Last year we dominated the Western Premiership, so we feel it's the right time to extend the opportunities of the players by stepping up to the Central Region's premier grade for the coming season."
In addition, and as a reflection of its player depth, the club has also entered two teams in the Western Premiership, the tier immediately below Federation League. The club's reserve team will act as a feeder to the firsts, and will be coached by Wanganui Stalwart Carl Hayward, who has had considerable success as a player and, more recently, as a coach.
The third travelling team is the WCFC Renovators, coached by the well regarded Tex von Kwiatkowski. Renovators are moving up from winning division 2 of the Wanganui Local League.
"The bulk of the team has been together now for several years," Von Kwiatkowski said.
"They have been coached firmly in European-style football, and play a very structured game. They are still young, but with a couple of older players to add strength I believe they will be a force in the Western Premiership."
Club president Peter Goldfinch said the WCFC's membership numbers are climbing each year, and the club has a philosophy of nurturing talent from a young age. Financially strong, and with what he believes is the best coaching team in town, he says the club's aim is to build and retain talent from the junior ranks and to provide players with the training and opportunities to develop into the best they can be.
Lofty goals they are and with the 2015 season kicking off around Easter, all three of the club's travelling teams will certainly have a point to prove to themselves.
