Past and present footballers will feature in four charity games at Hamilton’s Porritt Stadium on Saturday September 27, 2025. 

Following last year's successful charity fundraiser games, the organisers are making this an annual event on the footballing calendar.

Four football matches and off-the-pitch entertainment are planned as a fundraiser to support Johnny Konings and Rachel Weatherly.

Johnny, who played at Hamilton Wanderers, Ngaruawahia United, Claudelands Rovers and Melville United, was paralysed from the waist down in a surfing accident in 2024, and is undergoing a rehabilitation programme at a spinal injury unit in Brisbane. 

Rachel, from Whakatane, was in the USA on a Football Scholarship when she was diagnosed with a rare debilitating condition, Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS). Both require ongoing medical support.

The day will feature a variety of activities, including barbecues, and other food options. 

An inflatable football pitch will be available for the youngsters to enjoy.

Hamilton Wanderers will have their clubrooms open and the bar will be open all day, with a share of profits going to Johnny and Rachel.  

The event schedule is as follows:

• 11am: Masters 
• 1pm: 30s 
• 3pm: Women
• 5pm: AllStars

Teams are yet to be announced, with organisers sayinf that at least one marquee player will be playing.

The day will conclude with speeches, trophy presentations, an auction, and the raffle draws. All proceeds from the raffles and auctions wll support the cause. 

The organising team is actively seeking prizes for the auctions. Donations can range from small items and vouchers for silent auctions to larger items for live auctions.

Interested donors are encouraged to contact Rod de Lisle on 027 954 6544.

The 2024 fundraiser raised $51,000 to support Johnny Konings. 2024 Fundraiser.

More information can be found by following the Facebook page.

 

 

Johnny Konings

On Tuesday 18th June 2024, Johnny was in a surfing accident at his favourite Gold Coast surf break, D Bar. On his first wave of the day, he didn't quite make the drop and hit a sand bank, fracturing his spine at T10 and dislocating his T11 which bent his spinal cord. He also sustained broken ribs and a slightly collapsed lung. He was rescued by a group of surfers, body boarders and lifeguards. Charlotte Gordon, Johnny’s fiancée, says: “Who we are eternally grateful for and thank you will truly never be enough. He was treated by a team of paramedics, and airlifted by Westpac rescue helicopter to Brisbane to have surgery and begin what will be the biggest journey of our lives.”

2025 update

For Johnny and Charlotte, navigating limited access to funding, alongside all of the other challenges that come with a spinal cord injury, has undeniably been the most challenging time of their lives.

There is no amount of thanks that can express their gratitude for the emotional and financial support people have shown and continue to provide.

While these months have been the hardest of their lives they are so incredibly positive and are both already talking about how they can give back when they are out the other side for people that find themselves in similar situations.

"Thank you so much for the ongoing support and generosity.” 

Rachel Weatherly

For more than 15 years, football has been at the heart of Rachel’s life. She grew up on the pitch with Whakatane Town AFC, where she proudly wore the club’s colours for 12 seasons. Her talent then carried her across the world to the United States, where she played two seasons with South Georgia State College. Along the way, she also had shorter stints with Otumoetai FC in 2022, a return home to Whakatane Town in 2023. Most recently, she signed for Tauranga Moana in 2024.

Rachel lives with Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a rare connective tissue disorder that has led to multiple serious co-morbidities. These complications have dramatically reduced her quality of life and, heartbreakingly, forced her to step away from the football pitch.

Within Te Whatu Ora, there is currently very little support or recognition for rare diseases like EDS. As a result, Rachel has had to rely on multiple private specialists across different fields to access the tests, investigations, and treatments she needs.

Not all of the necessary treatments are available in New Zealand, which means Rachel and her family are now funding life-saving surgery overseas. She suffers from multiple abdominal vascular compressions that have left her largely confined to bed and dependent on tube feeding almost around the clock. Initially, the only surgical options were in Germany or Spain at a cost of $150,000–$200,000. Fortunately, a surgeon in Australia has been able to offer a path forward at a reduced cost of around $60,000.

Because of the complexity of EDS and the lifelong co-morbidities it causes, Rachel will need to remain under the ongoing care of private specialists. In addition, her doctors have advised that she may require another overseas surgery relating to her digestive system, though she is still pursuing every possible option in New Zealand first.

Funds raised will go directly towards helping Rachel access this life-saving surgery, continue receiving essential specialist care, and maintain treatment that will allow her the best chance of improving her quality of life.

For more information, please contact: Ricky Broderson, Organiser 029 201 3845.

Article added: Friday 05 September 2025