Whanganui Athletic FC

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Whanganui Athletic
Whanganui Athletic Football Logo.jpg
Full nameWhanganui Athletic Football Club
Nickname(s)WAFC
Founded1929
GroundWembley Park, Whanganui
League Central Federation League
2024 Central Federation League, 8th of 9
Website https://www.sporty.co.nz/wafc/fixtures/mens

Whanganui Athletic FC are an association football team based in the New Zealand North Island city of Whanganui. They are traditionally the strongest team from the city, and played in the top flight of New Zealand football in both league and cup competitions. The team was founded in 1929 as Wanganui East Athletic, but briefly changed their name to Wanganui FC between 1974 and 1976 before reverting to their original name before dropping the East to just become Wanganui Athletic, changing to Whanganui Athletic when their home city was officially re-named.

Contents

National competition

Athletic played in the 1993, 1994, and 1995 regional superclub championships, reaching the national league stage in 1993, where they finished seventh.

Athletic reached the last 16 stage of New Zealand's premier knockout cup competition, the Chatham Cup in 1970, and went one stage further to become quarter-finalists in 1996.

After the clubs 19-2 undefeated at home [1] [2] season they were able to secure promotion into the Central League (New Zealand) [3] for the 2023 season [4] . During the 2023 season they won their first Central League (New Zealand) game in 27 years [5] .

Women's First Team

The Whanganui Athletic women's first team currently competes in Manawatu Division 1 [6] having first joined the league in 2013 [7] . During their inaugural season they stunned New Zealand football by going undefeated on the season and scoring a staggering 146 goals [7] . With this dominance they were able to win the 2013 Federation Cup [8] .

Wembley Park

Athletic has called Wembley Park home since it's inception. After building new clubrooms in 1984 they were used for the club, while also being home to many events within the community [9] [10] . As historic as the old clubrooms are, in 2021 club president Peter Czerwonka decided it was time for improvements and introduced plans for new clubrooms due to be completed in 2022 [11] . Despite introducing the plans in 2021, the club had to go through three years of fundraising and planning before construction on the new clubrooms began [12] . Although the club believed construction would only take one year, it would end up taking until 2025 for the club rooms to finish construction. The club was able to sign a 30-year lease with the district council for ownership of the brand new, 2-storey $2.4 million dollar clubrooms. Club president Peter Czerwonka hopes that the clubrooms will not just be a big win for Athletic, but for Whanganui as a whole [13] .

Honors

New Zealand Representation From Whanganui Athletic

Wanganui United

In 2009 the team entered a partnership with local rivals Wanganui City to form a top-level team, Wanganui United, with both clubs feeding the squad. The idea behind this was to push the level of football in Wanganui. The idea was short-lived; after the 2010 season Wanganui United disbanded, with the players released back to their respective clubs.

Reference

  1. ↑ "Stuff". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  2. ↑ "A Red Hot season for Whanganui Athletic". Issuu. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  3. ↑ "The Home of Football & Futsal | New Zealand Football". www.nzfootball.co.nz. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  4. 1 2 Tweed, Mike. "Promoted! Whanganui Athletic up with the big boys next year". NZ Herald. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  5. ↑ "Whanganui Athletic nabs first Central League win in 27 years". NZ Herald. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  6. ↑ "Whanganui Athletic Football Club". www.sporty.co.nz. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  7. 1 2 "City soccer may yet raise a smile". NZ Herald. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  8. 1 2 Smith, Jared. "Athletic bag title with ease - Sport News". NZ Herald. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  9. ↑ "WGI: Fun-Damentals of Junior Coaching- Whanganui Athletic Clubrooms, Wembley Park – NZF Learn" . Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  10. ↑ "Site Location Wembley Park Wanganui Archery Club (A4) | Archives Central". archivescentral.org.nz. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  11. ↑ Tutty, Logan (9 October 2020). "Whanganui Athletic unveil plans for new clubrooms". NZ Herald. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  12. ↑ Tweed, Mike. "'The whole community is behind us': Football facility build imminent". NZ Herald. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  13. ↑ Brown, Fin Ocheduszko. "New Wembley Park football facility completed after five years". NZ Herald. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  14. ↑ King, Jason (14 November 2014). "Buzzing with possibilities". Whanganui Chronicle . Retrieved 8 June 2025.
  15. ↑ Tweed, Mike (15 September 2022). "Whanganui Athletic finally have playoff opponent". NZ Herald. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  16. ↑ "Whanganui Athletic Reserves are Federation Cup Champions". NZ Herald. Retrieved 22 August 2025.
  17. ↑ Brown, Fin Ocheduszko. "Football: Whanganui sides 'itching' to get season started". NZ Herald. Retrieved 11 August 2025.
  18. ↑ Brown, Fin Ocheduszko. "'I'd have bit your hand off': Athletic coach thrilled with title win". NZ Herald. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  19. ↑ "Soccer: All Whites' win begins build-up". NZ Herald. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  20. ↑ "Stuff". www.stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  21. ↑ "2005 Chatham Cup Final". www.ultimatenzsoccer.com. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
  22. ↑ Smith, Jared (2 September 2019). "Football: Whanganui's James Musa's Phoenix Rising dominating USL Championship". NZ Herald. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  23. ↑ Smith, Jared. "Football: Musa in the Major League". NZ Herald. Retrieved 13 August 2025.
  24. ↑ "Wayback Machine". www.ultimatenzsoccer.com. Archived from the original on 1 May 2009. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
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