Northern AFC

Last updated

Northern AFC
Northern AFC.jpg
Full nameNorthern Association Football Club
Nickname(s)Northern
Founded1888
GroundCaledonian Ground, Logan Park Turf, Gardens Ground, Forrester Park, Prospect Park Dunedin
CoachArran Wilkinson (Men's Premiership)
Grace Teah (Women's Premiership)
League ODT Southern Men's Premiership ODT Southern Women's Premiership
2023 ODT Southern Men's Premiership, 3rd of 10
ODT Southern Women's Premiership, 6th
Website Club website

Founded in 1888 Northern AFC is the oldest continually operating football club in the Southern Hemisphere.

Contents

The club is based in the city of Dunedin, within the Southern Football Federation region of the New Zealand Football structure.

The club has 12 senior teams, ranging from Men's and Women's Premiership teams, Men's and Women's Reserves, Men's Third and Fourth grade teams, and a Men's over 45's masters grade, and a junior club with teams from 6th grade through to Youth grade.

The club's Senior and Junior home grounds are at The Caledonian Ground, Logan Park Turf, the Gardens Ground (The Clubrooms), Chingford Park, and Forrester Park, all are in the Northern Dunedin area of the city.

Club history

Founded in 1888 Northern AFC is the oldest continually operating football club in the Southern Hemisphere.

In 1888 two football clubs called Northern and Southern were formed in Dunedin. The Northern club played in Brown’s paddock in North Dunedin. The Southern club played at Tahuna Park in South Dunedin.

Before the formation of the Southern League competition in 1968, Northern was the winner of Dunedin’s top league 14 times (1927, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1951, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1962).

Fiercely proud of its history, Northern is one of the more successful teams in Dunedin with eight Chatham Cup Final appearances. Two of the club's proudest moments were in 1959 and 1961, winning the Chatham Cup, as well as the National Rothman Cup in 1962.

In response to low player numbers in 1972 the Senior club joined with Maori Hill FC in the interests of football in the Northern end of Dunedin, and so the North End United club was formed. At the Junior level, both Maori Hill and Northern maintained their individual identities.

Then in 1991 it was agreed that the Senior club would revert to its historic Northern AFC name.

In 2013 the club celebrated its 125th Jubilee, as part of the celebrations the Men’s Premiership team played Green Island FC in the first club football match to be held under the roof at Dunedin's iconic covered Forsyth Barr Stadium.

Northern’s teams play in Black and White striped shirts, Black Shorts and Black socks as the home kit, with Orange and Black as away kit colours. However in 2022 to acknowledge a period in the clubs long history, the ODT Men's Premiership team wore Black and White Hooped Shirts, White Shorts and Black Socks, and the away kit was Maroon and Gold Shirts, White Shorts, and Maroon Socks in recognition of a relationship with Maori Hill JFC. The ODT Women's Premiership team kit for 2022 was all Black, with an all Dark Green away kit, again in recognition of the clubs women’s football history.

However, in 2023 both Men's and Women's Premiership teams returned to the traditional Black and White striped shirts, Black Shorts and Black socks as the Home kit.

Recent seasons

ODT Southern Men's Premiership, Southern Football Division One Fletcher Cup, and Southern Football Division Two

Following a number of seasons where the club achieved limited success, and in particular some heavy defeats in 2020, changes were made to the coaching and support staff ahead of the 2021 season.

This led to recruiting new and younger players to the club, alongside experienced players like National League and New Zealand Representative Goal Keeper Liam Little. Increased preparation and a hard work ethic resulted in improved performances and then results on the pitch. The Men's Premiership team ended the season winning 4 games and drawing 2 games, which included beating the 2020 reigning ODT Men's Southern Premiership winners Otago University AFC.

2022 saw the performances and results continue to improve significantly. Again new and young talented players were recruited to the club, and were provided with environment to train, play and develop. The Men's Premiership team led the league for a long period in 2022, ending the season winning 9 games, drawing 4 games, and eventually finishing 4th place.

The steady progress made in 2022 continued into 2023 and despite some player movements in and out of the club, the Men's Premiership team ended the season in 3rd place.

2023 was also a successful season for both Southern Football Fletcher Cup and Southern Football Division Two teams. The Fletcher Cup team finished runners up in the league and played in the final of the Chinese Charity Cup, and the Southern Football Division Two team won the league.

Women's ODT Southern Premiership

2022 saw the Women's Prems team return to the ODT Women's Southern Premiership. The young team faced a challenging season against opposition with much more experience. The team finished 6th, and plans to continue to recruit young players and develop its team further into 2023.

North End United Youth Development League Squads

Northern JAFC, Northern AFC, and Maori Hill JFC continued the partnership to create combined Youth teams to compete in the Football South Development League under the name of ‘North End United’. This ‘hub club’ model is supported by Football South and will form a pathway for footballers of both clubs towards Senior Football at Northern AFC. The Football South Development League is the pinnacle Youth league in the Southern region and involve teams from Dunedin, South Canterbury, Central Otago/Lakes and Southland.

North End United have been very successful and have won this Development League in 2021 and 2022.

Players

2022 ODT Men's Southern Premiership
No.Pos.NationPlayer
1GKFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Zane Green
2DefFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Josh McCarroll
3DefFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Dean Allan
4DefFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Matt Johnstone (C)
5DefFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Amacio Jutel
6MidFlag of the Solomon Islands.svg  SLB Michael Samani
7FwdFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Hayden Teixeira
8MidFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Harry Fraser
9FwdFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Tyler Muir
10MidFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Rory Hibbert
11FwdFlag of Oman.svg  Oman Al Julanda Al Mawali
12DefFlag of Fiji.svg  Fiji Mateo Savou
13MidFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Luka Mandich
14FwdFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Gian Krauer
15MidFlag of Germany.svg  Germany Janic Gorman
16DefFlag of Germany.svg  Germany Jonas Gorman
17GKFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Michael Dunnet
18GKFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Liam Little
2022 Football South Fletcher Cup
No.Pos.NationPlayer
1GKFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Michael Dunnet
2DefFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Conor Stephenson
3DefFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Jordan Mitchell
4DefFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Lachlan Shanks
5MidFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Johnny Woodall
6MidFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ David Williams
7DefFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Louie Potter
8DefFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Louis Gray
9DefFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Stassi Kypri
10MidFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Mark James
11MidFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Jacob Willmott
12DefFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Matthew Cowles
13MidFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Moreton Dacombe-Bird
14FwdFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Harry Major
15FwdFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Eli Newall
16FwdFlag of New Zealand.svg  NZ Gian Krauer

Coaches and Officials

RoleName
Arran WilkinsonODT Men's Prems Southern Premiership Coach
Craig WilkinsonAssistant coach
Grace TeahODT Women's Prems Southern Premiership Coach
Wayne HendersonFootball South Fletcher Cup Coach
David WilliamsAssistant Coach
VacantMedical / Physio
Nick CurrieManager
Aaron WarringtonCo-President
Kirsten PramCo-President
David WilliamsClub Captain

Federation Awards

In 2023 Northern AFC were nominated for 5 awards at the Southern Football Senior Awards evening:

Header textHeader textHeader text
Matt JohnstoneSports Person of the Year (Male)Nominated
Young Male Player of the YearRory HibbertNominated
Female Coach of the YearGrace TeahNominated
Female Personality of the YearKirsten PramNominated
Club President of the YearAaron Warrington and Kirsten PramWinner

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ipswich Town F.C.</span> Association football club in England

Ipswich Town Football Club is a professional football club in Ipswich, Suffolk, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of English football, following promotion from League One in the 2022–23 season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lincoln City F.C.</span> Association football club in Lincoln, England

Lincoln City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Lincoln, Lincolnshire, England. The team competes in EFL League One, the third level of the English football league system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Forest Green Rovers F.C.</span> Association football club in Nailsworth, England

Forest Green Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team competes in EFL League Two, the fourth level of the English football league system, but will play in the National League in the 2024–25 season after suffering relegation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ayr United F.C.</span> Association football club in Scotland

Ayr United Football Club are a football club in Ayr, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Championship, the second tier of the Scottish Professional Football League. Formed in 1910 by the merger of Ayr Parkhouse and Ayr F.C., their nickname is The Honest Men, from a line in the Robert Burns poem "Tam o' Shanter". They play at Somerset Park.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wimbledon F.C.</span> Former English football club

Wimbledon Football Club was an English football club formed in Wimbledon, south-west London, in 1889 and based at Plough Lane from 1912 to 1991. Founded as Wimbledon Old Centrals, the club were a non-League team for most of their history. Nicknamed "the Dons" and latterly also "the Wombles", they won eight Isthmian League titles, the FA Amateur Cup in 1963 and three successive Southern League championships between 1975 and 1977, and were then elected to the Football League. The team rose quickly from obscurity during the 1980s and were promoted to the then top-flight First Division in 1986, just four seasons after being in the Fourth Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gymnasium F.C.</span> Association football club on the Isle of Man

Gymnasium F.C. are a football club from Douglas on the Isle of Man. They compete in the Isle of Man Football League. They wear a blue and white striped shirt, black shorts, black socks and play their home games at Tromode Park in Douglas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashington A.F.C.</span> Association football club in England

Ashington Association Football Club is a football club based in Ashington, Northumberland, England. They are currently members of the Northern Premier League Division One East and play at Woodhorn Lane.

Caversham is an association football club based in Dunedin, New Zealand. They compete in the ODT FootballSouth Premier League.

Liverpool Stanley was a semi-professional rugby league club from Liverpool, England. It was renamed Liverpool City in 1951, but was otherwise unrelated to the original Liverpool club of the same name. The club's origins date back to 1880 when it was founded as Wigan Highfield. Although the club was best known for its years in Liverpool, the club relocated numerous times, and were known as London Highfield, Huyton, Runcorn Highfield, Highfield, and eventually Prescot Panthers throughout their existence before being eventually wound up in 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Darlington Mowden Park R.F.C.</span> English rugby union club, based in Darlington

Darlington Mowden Park is a professional rugby union club, based in Darlington, County Durham, England. They currently compete in National League 1, the third division of the Rugby Football Union domestic league competition pyramid, having achieved promotion on 3 May 2014, after defeating Ampthill in the 2013–14 play-off. The club's former name, Darlington Grammar School Old Boys, was changed when they moved to Yiewsley Drive, which was located in Mowden. They relocated to The Darlington Arena, a 25,000 all-seater stadium in Darlington, purchasing the previously-vacated ground for £2 million; Yiewsley Drive had previously been sold to a housing estate company, and the Arena was previously owned by Darlington Football Club. They played their first game at the arena on 2 February 2013, in front of a crowd of over 1,000, comprehensively defeating Bromsgrove 62–7 in a National League 2 North league game.

Cowlairs Football Club was a 19th-century football club from the Cowlairs area of Glasgow in Scotland. The club was of the founder members of the Scottish Football League in 1890, and played at Springvale Park during their time in the league.

Newcastle East End Football Club was an English football club which briefly played in the Northern League and the FA Cup in the late 19th century. Their entire history was played out during the Victorian era in Newcastle upon Tyne until eventually adopting the name Newcastle United following their rivals collapse. The club is most known for being one of two teams in Newcastle until 1892 when Newcastle West End collapsed, leaving Newcastle East End the only football team in Newcastle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Southern Premier League (New Zealand)</span> Football league

The Southern Premier League is a New Zealand association football league competition administered by Southern Football involving clubs from the lower half of the South Island of New Zealand. Five of the clubs are from Dunedin and one each are from Wanaka, Queenstown, Mosgiel, Timaru, and Invercargill.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mt Druitt Town Rangers FC</span> Football club

The Mount Druitt Town Rangers, or Mt Druitt Rangers, are a soccer club from Mount Druitt in Western Sydney, Australia. The club was incorporated in 1970. The team currently plays in the New South Wales National Premier Leagues 1, the highest league in the state and second highest in the country after the A-League. Winning promoted having won the Club Championship in 2018 season from NSW NPL2.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skegness Town A.F.C.</span> Association football club in England

Skegness Town Association Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Skegness, Lincolnshire. The club currently competes in the United Counties League Premier Division North.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Albion Sports A.F.C.</span> Association football club in England

Albion Sports Association Football Club is a football club located in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The club are currently members of the Premier Division of the Northern Counties East League and play at the Horsfall Stadium of Bradford. The club's kit consists of yellow and royal blue shirts with royal blue shorts and socks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vale Recreation F.C.</span> Association football club in Guernsey

Vale Recreation F.C. is a football club which was formed in 1932 by Wilfred J. Corbet and is based in the Channel Island of Guernsey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Melbourne City FC</span> Association football club in Victoria, Australia

Melbourne City Football Club is an Australian professional soccer club based in the south–eastern Melbourne suburb of Cranbourne East but playing matches in Melbourne CBD, that competes in A-League, the highest division of soccer in Australia, under licence from Australian Professional Leagues (APL).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hashtag United F.C.</span> Association football club in England

Hashtag United Football Club is a semi-professional football club based in Essex, England. They are currently members of the Isthmian League Premier Division and play at the Len Salmon Stadium in Pitsea.

Briton Ferry Llansawel AFC Ladies is a football team, playing in the Women's Welsh Premier League, to which they were promoted in 2018. Briton Ferry Llansawel run a senior ladies team, a ladies reserves team and a ladies youth team.

References

    Chatham Cup
    Preceded by Winner
    1959 Chatham Cup
    Succeeded by
    Preceded by Winner
    1961 Chatham Cup
    Succeeded by