In 2022, Tauranga City and Papamoa FC – normally rivals in football in Tauranga – came together to form FC Tauranga Moana, focusing on football development pathways for junior and youth players in Tauranga and the Bay of Plenty.

They recognised that by working together, they could provide an option in the bay for young players who wanted to access higher level training and competition.

Otumoetai FC have joined in the female space. 

Barry Gardiner is the Technical Director at FCTM, a role he combines with also being the Men's first team head coach at Tauranga City. He’s been in the Bay for the last five or so years, after roles at WaiBOP Football and before that, Southland Football. 

Barry says, “We want the young players in our region to have the opportunity  to play at the highest level available to them in New Zealand, but we recognise that individually, our clubs are smaller and do not have the same talent pool as the big Auckland clubs. 

“We want to provide them a pathway in the Bay”.

In 2023, FCTM went through the year-long process to be accredited as a New Zealand Football Talent Development Programme (TDP) club for their boys/mixed programme. They are completing the accreditation for their girls programme in 2024. 

TDP accreditation gives clubs the ability to enter teams into the NRFL leagues, which FCTM have done (Boys U14, U15 and U17). 

Barry sees the benefits of the TDP and, by extension, the NRFL leagues, as clear- the opportunity to play against better players more often.

Football in the Bay of Plenty

Tauranga, in the Western Bay of Plenty, has four established football clubs  - Papamoa FC, Tauranga City, Otumoetai FC and Tauranga Blue Rovers -  all offering junior and youth football, and a pathway into Senior Football. In addition, surrounding areas also offer football, such as Waipuna, Omokoroa, Katikati, and Te Puke. 

There has been a growing recognition that the rivalry between clubs might not be in the best interest of the players in the youth development space. With talented players leaving the region, often for Auckland and Wellington, there was a desire to retain players and provide them with opportunities in the Bay. Discussions between clubs for collaboration have been ongoing for some years.

Currently, the region is represented in the Men’s Northern League (the regional step towards the National League, New Zealand’s highest level of domestic football) by Tauranga City’s Men’s First team. Papamoa FC and Otumoetai FC have their first teams in the NRFL Southern Conference League – the top level of competition for the WaiBOP Region. 

Women’s football, both youth and senior, has less women overall participating, meaning that any one club putting together a team to play at the top level (Women’s Northern League) has been almost impossible.

FCTM Academy

The three clubs involved in FCTM still have their own identity and offer Junior and Youth Football. They view FCTM as providing more options for all youth. Those who wish to play community (less competitive) football stay on with their club. Those who wish to play competitive football – and are prepared to travel - now have a clearer pathway into higher leagues at youth and senior level. All clubs believe they will ultimately benefit from the additional training and coaching available to youth. 

Kids who decide they want to be a bit more serious about their football may choose to switch into the FCTM pathway, starting at U11. FCTM also hold skill centre sessions for 9 - 12 year olds. These are additional sessions that players from any club can register for and attend.

FCTM do not hold trials, instead opting for an identification process which gives players an opportunity to train and to view what is on offer to see if it is the right fit. 

Costs for players vary by age, but work out to be around $10 a training session. FCTM want to ensure that cost is not a barrier, and make sure they have payment plans and a hardship fund available. 

At U11 and U12, teams play in local Bay of Plenty leagues, while the U13s play in the WaiBOP Federation League. 

The U14 Wahine this year are playing in the WaiBOP mixed federation league, and U14/U15/U17 Boys play in the NRFL.

Barry says that the NRFL (U14+) players are training 3-4 times a week. At this stage, Barry believes, most players have committed to football as their main sport.

Accreditation
Barry says the TDP accreditation – a New Zealand Football certification – was reasonably straightforward. It was a clear process, although ther was a lot to cover. 

He says: “Nico from WaiBOP has been valued support to help the organisation making sure we meet the criteria and he continues to review and support us in our development.

“Our coaches need to meet minimum coaching standards to coach in our frameworks and all coaches are supported to upskill formally and informally through coach education. Our curriculum has been reviewed to ensure it meets the national standard.”

Managing Playing Time and Balancing School/Club Football

FCTM work closely with their players to manage playing time. They acknowledge that many of the older players in their environment are also playing for their school teams, and Barry says many of the U17 team also play with the U23s for either Tauranga City or Papamoa FC. 

Barry says they have a MOU in place with Tauranga Boys' College, and are looking to put similar processes in place with other schools.

All players are required to record their minutes for training and games. All players are required to report minutes played on Saturday, and this is taken into consideration for Sunday game time. 

Article added: Thursday 11th July 2024