A reminder to everyone how First Kicks & Fun Football will look this year in Hamilton. 
 
FIRST KICKS
Here are the key points:

• For 5 – 7-year-olds (born 2019 – 2021)
• Split into two age grades – 5th/6th Grade and 6th/7th Grade.
• The rational for using these two age groups is to accommodate returning and new players, with flexibility for clubs to use their judgment on where 6th Grade players (born 2020) best fit based on player experience.
• 3v3 format - each team has 6 - 8 players (recommend 8). Teams do their skill activities on their assigned pitch and then split in half for their games.
• Pitch size is 20m x 15m with 2m x 1m goals.
• Start times – 9am and 10:15am. The plan is to have the 5th/6th Grade starting at 9am and the 6th/7th Grade at 10:15am, however, this will depend on team entries and pitch availability, so there may be some movement between these two time slots.
• Venues – Eastern First Kicks at Galloway Park in Claudelands, Northern First Kicks at Discovery Park in Flagstaff, and Western First Kicks at Bremworth Park in Dinsdale.   

 
For more information, please click on the link below to the draw page for First Kicks in Hamilton. Rules are here.
WaiBOP Football - 5th & 6th Grade First Kicks Hamilton
 
FUN FOOTBALL
One of the other bigger changes this year is in Fun Football with 8th Grade, 9th Grade and U9 Girls playing 5v5 (with goalkeepers) on the new 35m x 25m fields with 3m x 2m goals – recommended squad size 8 players.

To help reduce travel, the region has been split in half, north and south, using Boundary Road in Hamilton as the approximate border. To help ensure the goals we’ve purchased for this new format get maximum use, and to ensure game day is a busy, vibrant experience for teams, we’ve created hubs at a few parks in Hamilton with teams playing all their home games at these hubs. Click HERE to see the rules.
 
The Hamilton Fun Football hubs are as follows.

• Jansen Park, Hillcrest: Hillcrest United, Knighton JFC, Newstead School, Southwell School, Tamahere School, & Tauwhare School.
• Grosvenor Park, Rototuna: Northern United, Gordonton School, & Hamilton Chirstian School.
• Raymond Park, Fairview Downs: Hamilton Wanderers, & Woodstock School.
• Bremworth Park, Dinsdale: Western United, & Unicol Strikers.  

Article added: Wednesday 18 March 2026