Neil Carrington, something of a Puarenga Park legend, hung up his hooter recently, and WaiBOP Football was with him on his final day at the park.

Neil has been Rotorua football’s First Kicks co-ordinator for eleven years. “I first started with Robin, the Eastlake President. We would rotate each week with one of us on the hooter and the other one sorting out the balls and equipment for each team. It just grew from there,” explained Neil, who eventually took over everything with his daughter.

Known locally, by some, as ‘The guy with the hooter forever tripping over nets,’ Neil was a fixture at Puarenga Park during the football season. You could set your watch by Neil’s schedule as he was always down at Puarenga Park at 7.00am on a Saturday morning, checking the condition of the pitches and getting the gear ready.

Neil is famous for always wearing shorts no matter the weather, even on the coldest of days. His final day was a case in point with wind, hail and rain that even forced the abandonment of some games and saw the coffee cart get stuck in the mud. 

Neil has some fond memories of his time at Puarenga Park. “Every year seeing and meeting the new 4–5-year-old players and new coaches and getting to see them flourish, develop and having fun is pretty special,” said Neil. “Seeing the likes of Paige Satchell and Nando Pijnaker, who have now gone on to represent New Zealand in football, start out their careers at Puarenga Park was also amazing.”

There was also the time he received a call from the Prime Minister’s office. “Getting a phone call from John Key’s Secretary and having the Police and his security turn up to Puarenga Park to prepare for a visit from the PM to Saturday football in Rotorua was a unique experience.” Unfortunately, the visit didn’t go ahead.

There have been challenging moments, too. “Making the decision on whether football goes ahead or not due to weather conditions is always tough, as was the last couple of years with Covid,” said Neil. “Having to rope off pitches to keep teams and people separate, making sure everything was sanitised, and communicating to everyone on the new flow for Saturdays at Puarenga Park, made life a lot harder.”

As it ends, Neil said he has enjoyed his time at Puarenga Park. “I haven’t bought an umbrella in eleven years,” he laughed. “There are always umbrellas being left behind, along with phones, jewellery and even, one year, a stroller!                                                                                                                                                                                          “I’ve met some truly amazing people and made some great connections through my time in football. I’m definitely sad to be finishing up as the sport has been a massive part of my and my family’s life.”