Moturoa AFC

Moturoa AFC
Full nameMoturoa Association Football Club
Nickname(s)The Reds
Founded1928; 96 years ago (1928)
GroundOnuku Taipari Domain, Moturoa, New Plymouth
Coordinates39.0700° S, 174.0258° E
ChairmanScotty Manson
LeagueTaranaki Men's Premiership
Women's Central League
2024Taranaki Men's Premiership, 1st of 8 (champions)
Women's Central League, 6th of 8
Websitehttps://www.moturoaafc.co.nz/

Moturoa AFC is one of New Zealand's oldest association football clubs. Based in New Plymouth, the club traces its establishment back to the Watersiders Association Football Club.[1]

Moturoa AFC has rich history with the club having success in many regional and national competitions.[2][3][4][5]

Its clubrooms and home ground are at Onuku Taipari Domain, Ngāmotu Road, Spotswood.

Early history

Originally the Moturoa Football Club was a short-lived rugby club, started by the Breakwater Sports Committee in the kiosk at Ngāmotu Beach in early 1914, before amalgamating with the Star club. Moturoa FC's home ground was the prison reserve field adjacent to Otaka Street in Moturoa. The club retained one junior team for a short period after the amalgamation that played in the Moturoa club's colour white, with the addition of a star emblem on the shirt chest.[6][7]

Aerial Image by White Aviation of Moturoa AFC's home ground on Boxing Day 1984. In the bottom right is the Ngamotu Tavern, opened 1972 closed approximately 2000
Onuku Taipari Domain ○ 1984

From 1915 to 1921 there was no official Taranaki Association Football Championship due to the war. The New Plymouth club relied on friendly games against mariners of the trade shipping at the port of Moturoa.

The first ever recorded Moturoa association football team was published in the Taranaki Daily News on 25 May 1925, with players; Thompson, Matthews, Randell, the Spedding brothers, the Anderson brothers, Murray, Mells, Peere, Towes and Cole scheduled to face Fitzroy at the Tukapa Ground in Westown.[8]

There was an annual meeting of the New Plymouth Association Football Club in mid-May 1926 where it was decided that the Moturoa and New Plymouth Clubs' combine for the purpose of entering a team for the Julian Cup.[9]

Portrait of New Plymouth football team with the Chinese Residents Challenge Cup in 1926
New Plymouth/Moturoa ○ 1926 Chinese Cup winners

At a meeting of the Northern sub-division of the football association executive on 4 July 1927, the recently donated trophy by Duff & Co. to the Watersiders club was discussed. As the four teams entered were not affiliated to the NZFA an approach was made to the Taranaki Football Association asking permission to run the competition.[10]

In the final match of the inaugural Duff Rose Bowl at Western Park in 1927 the Watersiders beat the Fitzroy-based Rangers club with Ted Spedding scoring twice.[11] The winning team also included; goalkeeper Tom Broughton, H. Lewis, W. Davis, I. Thompson, R. Murray, R. Hughes, Anderson, Young, Wylie, J. Spedding, and reserves Karim, White and McCullough.[12]

The Watersiders Association Football Club committee met in March 1928 where a decision was made to change its name to the Moturoa Club. At the meeting the report detailing the 1927 season was presented. The Duff Rose Bowl was given to the Northern sub-division of the Taranaki Football Association for competition amongst local teams. The annual subscription was set at five shillings, colours of red shirts with white pants fixed and a squad of twenty players registered.[13]

Moturoa first affiliated with the Taranaki Football Association for the 1928 season. Moturoa won the 1929 Chinese Cup. Moturoa's intermediate team, competing for the 1929 Plunket Cup, lost the final to Caledonian.[14] Moturoa also won the Plumb Cup for the Taranaki junior championship.[15]

Moturoa Football Club. 1931 Priest Shield 6-a-side winners
Moturoa 1931 Priest Shield 6-a-side winners

Moturoa won the annual six-a-side competition for the Priest Shield at New Plymouth in 1931. There were six teams in the competition which was conducted at Western Park. The players in the final for Moturoa were: goal-keeper Roy Johns, R. and F. Roper, Anderson, White, Smith. And for Stratford: Grierson, Thompson, Henderson, O’Shannessey, McGrory, Elgar. The final score was Moturoa – 3 Stratford – 1. White getting a hat-trick for Moturoa.[16]

Moturoa Football Club - 1934 Malayan Shield Winners

The Moturoa School team won the Malayan Shield in 1934 with Mr. P. Gardner and Mr. E. Kenny as coaches, and D. Kendall as captain.

Moturoa have competed for the Chatham Cup since 1949,[17] reaching the North Island semi-final in 1954 against Stop Out at Western Park,[18] and again in 1959 against Miramar Rangers at the Basin Reserve.[19] In 1960 the club reached the North Island final of the cup facing North Shore United at Blandford Park,[20] and again in 1962 facing Hamilton Technical Old Boys at Seddon Park.[21] In 1966 Moturoa again reached the NI semi-final to face Miramar Rangers, but on this occasion at Western Park.[22] Moturoa reached the fifth round of the Chatham Cup in the 1969, 1971 and 1972 seasons, with the 1972 competition notable for knocking out the holders of the trophy Western Suburbs in the fourth round. The club has since reached the fourth round in 1974, 1987, 2000 and 2002 and last competed in the competition in 2023.[23]

Moturoa Women's Football

The original Moturoa AFC women's team emerged in 1969 and began playing league football in 1975 after the foundation of the Taranaki Women's Football Association. Moturoa won the B Division of the Taranaki Women's Football Association league in 1981 and 1992. In 2010 the club won the Taranaki Women's Premiership for the first time. Moturoa won the 2011 Central Federation Cup, the final, against Hawkes Bays' Maycenvale United, was played at Memorial Park, Palmerston North.[24] In 2013 Moturoa won the treble with the Taranaki title, the Duchess Cup and the Federation Cup. Coached by former Moturoa player Campbell Waugh and captained by former New Zealand Universities and national age-group representative Chelsea Aim, the side was undefeated in 20 games, with the only dropped points a draw with Waitara in the Taranaki Women's League. 49 goals were scored and 6 conceded. The Federation Cup final at Turuturu Park in Hāwera was against an unbeaten and free-scoring Wanganui Athletic.[25] Manawatu Top 4 champions, Athletic had hit the net in excess of 130 times during their season, and also qualified for the Central League play-offs. Moturoa took the match and the trophy 1–0, with a strong defensive effort and a late winner.[26][27][28] In 2015 Moturoa entered the women's Central League competition administered by Capital Football and finished fifth in its first season.[29] The 2016 Central League season began with a new squad of players complemented by the signing of Fernanda Toscani from North Force.[30] The 2018 season saw Moturoa finish as runner-up to Massey University after joining the Central Women's Federation League.[31] In 2020 Moturoa won the Central Federation Women's Premier League.[32] In 2022 the Moturoa women's side won the Central Women's Federation Cup for the fourth time along with a treble of local Taranaki titles.[33] Moturoa entered the Kate Sheppard Cup for the first time in 2023.[34]

Honours

Men's

  • Taranaki Championship (Julian Cup): 1956, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964 (shared with Old Boys), 1965, 1968 ( & MBTC Cup), 1969, 1971.[35]
  • 1965 represented Taranaki in the regional representative Central Districts League.[36]
  • 1966 joined Western League.[37]
  • 1967 joined Central Districts Premier League as founding member.[38]
  • 1972 promoted to Western League, 1972 Western League runner-up, 1973 Central League Qualifiers tournament winner.
  • 1973 promoted to Central League, Central League - 1973 Division Two Champions.[39] Promotion to Division One.
  • 1976 - 1985 Western Tasman League. (Taranaki United composite side retained Central League position.)[40]
  • 1985 Western Tasman League Champions. Promotion to 1986 Central League
  • 1989 Central League Two - 2nd (promoted to Central League One).[41]
  • 1993 Central League One - 2nd (promoted to Central Premier League).[42]
  • 1995 withdrew from Central League One and joined the Taranaki Premiership.
  • 2000 entered Central Federation League. (Federation League position given to Team Taranaki in 2004.)[43]
  • Taranaki Premiership champions: 1999 (promoted to Central Federation League), 2006, 2010, 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2024
  • Sheffield United F.C. Plate - 2019 [44]
  • Duff Rose Bowl Champions: 1927,[11] 1946, 1947, 1949, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 2001, 2003, 2016,[45] 2017, [46] 2024

Women's

  • Taranaki Women's Football Association - B Division Champions - 1981, 1992.
  • Taranaki Women's Premiership Champions - 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
  • Taranaki Women's League Challenge Trophy - 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024
  • Duchess Cup Champions - 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023
  • Promotion to 2015 Women's Central League (joined Central Federation Premier League in 2017)
  • Central Federation Cup Champions - 2011,[47] 2013,[48] 2019,[49] 2022,[33] 2023
  • Central Federation Premier League Champions - 2020,[50] 2023 [51]
  • 2024 Capital Football W-League promotion playoff winners [52]

See also

References

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  2. ^ "Moturoa Association Football Club, 1960". Puke Ariki. Retrieved 2 September 2019.
  3. ^ Bird, Tony (7 September 2013). "Moturoa women in league of their own". Taranaki Daily News. Stuff.
  4. ^ Reive, Christopher (2 June 2017). "Moturoa and FC Western face off in top-of-table showdown". Taranaki Daily News. Stuff.
  5. ^ Bird, Tony (24 August 2015). "Moturoa crowned premier league football champions". Taranaki Daily News. Stuff.
  6. ^ "Taranaki Rugby Union". Hawera & Normanby Star. No. XLVI. Papers Past. 28 March 1914. p. 5. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  7. ^ "Football". Taranaki Herald. No. 144384. Papers Past. 25 April 1914. p. 8. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
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  9. ^ "SOCCER". Hawera Star. Papers Past. 17 May 1926. p. 3. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
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  11. ^ a b "Association Football". Papers Past. 15 August 1927. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  12. ^ "Association Football - Team to Play Manawatu". Taranaki Daily News. Papers Past. 13 August 1927. p. 15. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
  13. ^ "Management of Rugby - Association Football - Watersiders' Club Now Moturoa". Papers Past. 13 March 1928. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  14. ^ "ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL". Stratford Evening Post. No. 83. Papers Past. 16 April 1929. p. 2. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  15. ^ "ASSOCIATION FOOTBALL Past Year Reviewed". Stratford Evening Post. No. 33. 8 April 1930. p. 5. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  16. ^ "THE ASSOCIATION GAME Tourney at New Plymouth". Stratford Evening Post. No. 236. 14 September 1931. p. 7. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  17. ^ "CHATHAM CUP PLAY". Gisborne Herald. 26 July 1949. p. 6. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  18. ^ "ASSOCIATION CODE Chatham Cup Semi-final at New Plymouth". The Press. No. 27424. 10 August 1954. p. 3. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  19. ^ "MIRAMAR TO MEET NORTH SHORE". The Christchurch Press. 27 July 1959. p. 8. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  20. ^ "EASY WIN BY NORTH SHORE". The Christchurch Press. 15 August 1960. p. 17. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  21. ^ "CHATHAM CUP TOURNEY". The Christchurch Press. p. 13. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
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  28. ^ "Moturoa women in league of their own". Stuff. 6 September 2013. Retrieved 17 January 2021.
  29. ^ "Moturoa finish Central League football season with a win". Stuff - Taranaki Daily News. 18 August 2015. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  30. ^ Reive, Christopher (31 March 2016). "New Plymouth Rangers aiming for Western Premier League title". Stuff. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  31. ^ "GR Engineering Women's Federation League 2018". FijiFootball.com.fj. Retrieved 5 December 2022.
  32. ^ Johnston, Will (18 August 2020). "Talented women top league". Sport News Taranaki. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  33. ^ a b "Moturoa win Central Football Women's Federation Cup for fourth time". Stuff - Taranaki Daily News. 1 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  34. ^ New Zealand Football (14 May 2023). "Kate Sheppard Cup". New Zealand Football.
  35. ^ "New Zealand - List of Champions". RSSSF. 2 December 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
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  38. ^ "New Zealand 1967". RSSSF. 5 October 2004. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
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  52. ^ Goldby, Bri (25 September 2023). "Taranaki's Moturoa earn right to play in next year's Women's Central League". Friends of Football. Retrieved 29 October 2023.