Football haven at Waikaraka Park2 min read

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Waikaraka Park comes alive every Thursday, as the new junior seven-a-side football competition has kicked off, organised by the Onehunga Sports Football Club.

The OSFC has run a successful adult seven-a-side competition for the last 20 years, and this summer decided to add a junior competition, which has been an instant success.

Although it has only been running for a month, the club has already played about 10 games. Club captain, Mark Lythe, says they are delighted with the response as “it’s brought new players and families to the club”

They cater for all ages, from five year olds through to intermediate age, with a number of girls’ teams involved too. The younger players play on much smaller fields with mini goals, while the older children play on the half-sized normal fields.

The younger players often don’t adhere to the rules, preferring a chaotic dash towards the goals. Meanwhile, the older players take a more strategic approach, focusing on proper positions and listening to their coaches.

Mark says it is pretty chaotic, but great to see. Adding it gives them a chance to run around for an hour and enjoy themselves. For the youngest participants, football skills are not a requirement as long as they are having fun. It’s also a great way to involve the families in the club, with parents and older siblings cheering from the sidelines.

The children have the run of the park until 6pm, then the sub-football seven-a-side for the adults takes to the fields and runs till 8pm. A number of the mums and dads switch from being spectators to playing their own games, while the children take their spot on the sidelines.

The club’s summer seven-a-side runs every Thursday from 5pm until mid-March (except during the Christmas break). Young and old are welcome to come along and have a game.

For more information you can contact the club at onehungasports@hotmail.com