Hundreds of intermediate aged football and futsal players across our region have been training and fundraising to get to the largest junior sporting event in Australasia – the 2025 Zespri AIMS Games.

Starting yesterday in Tauranga Moana. AIMS runs through to September 5. The competition for Intermediate Aged schools has been run since 2004 by the Association of Intermediate and Middle Schools (AIMS).

Football and futsal are among the 27 sports, with WaiBOP Futsal Development Manager Cliff Harris overseeing the organisation of both codes.

This year’s tournament has record entries again, with football and futsal seeing a growth of around 12% over last year.

Football, starting on Monday 1st Sept, will feature 114 teams, including 21 schools from the WaiBOP region.

Futsal, which started yesterday, has 81 teams, with 26 schools from our region.

With football squads of up to 14 and futsal squads of 8–10, that’s around 2,200 young players competing across the two codes.

• Football runs from Monday 1 to Friday 5 September at Gordon Spratt Reserve in Papamoa.

• Futsal takes place from Saturday 30 August to Wednesday 3 September, starting at Mercury Baypark Arena (30–31 August) before shifting to Haumaru Sport and Recreation Centre in Tauranga (1–3 September).

Much of the refereeing for both codes is done by youth referees from the WaiBOP Football Referee Academy, covering both football and futsal. They have been working throughout the year with referee coaches and completing their Level One qualifications.

This year Zespri AIMS games have worked closely with Sport Waikato and Sport Bay of Plenty to promote the Positive Vibes Only message for supporters.

With a focus on positivity and helping people to understand and change their language and behaviour, the campaign is about creating environments for all participants to enjoy whether playing, coaching, supporting, officiating or administrating. 

Since its beginning in 2004, the event has grown from 14 sports and 17 schools to feature more than 12,500 competitors from close to 400 schools, supported by around 1,800 volunteers.

Good luck to all competitors, and remember that the Zespri AIMS Games experience isn’t just about winning, it’s about participating and giving it your best. 

Article added: Sunday 31 August 2025