Two of the Western Bay of Plenty's largest football clubs have joined forces to create a new shared entity, called FC Tauranga Moana, that aims to provide more opportunities for top quality training to aspirational footballers across the region.

Founded by both Tauranga City AFC and Pāpāmoa FC, FC Tauranga Moana will take over the management of football development for the two clubs from January 1, 2023. Players from U-9 to U-17 level will have an exciting new pathway on which to continue their footballing journey.

FC Tauranga Moana’s main focus will be to operate NZF-accredited Skills Centres and Talent Development Programmes for Tauranga City AFC and Papamoa FC. These are the only NZ Football-accredied programmes of their type available in the Bay of Plenty.

This schedule includes: 

• Skills Centre programmes for U-9 to U-12 footballers including, for the first time in the WaiBOP region, a NZF-accredited girls Skills Centre (to operate alongside the mixed Skills Centre). 
• Talent Development Programmes for U-13 to U-17s, from which teams to compete in WaiBOP Y-League and NRFL Youth competitions will operate.

With FC Tauranga Moana focusing on football development programmes for Junior and Youth players and coaches, Tauranga City AFC and Papamoa FC will continue to work on delivering quality football experiences for other Junior, Youth and Senior members. The collaboration will also provide other opportunities for the sharing of resources to support members.

About FC Tauranga Moana

FC Tauranga Moana was founded by Tauranga City AFC and Papamoa FC  to focus on football development pathways for junior and youth players in Tauranga Moana. The name, FC Tauranga Moana, was chosen to reflect the history and joint identity of the clubs. 

A working group from Tauranga City AFC and Papamoa FC was formed to look at options for collaboration. After agreeing a new entity was required, it was also agreed that FC Tauranga Moana reflected where the organisation is located.

People out of the area understand where Tauranga is, and the name also connects to the rich history in the region. It is their intention to engage with local iwi as they work through the branding, in order to tell their story and how they connect across Tauranga Moana region.

For more visit: https://fctm.co.nz/