Capital Football, on behalf of the six football Federations of New Zealand Football are delighted to announce a transformative new partnership with New Zealand Community Trust (NZCT) for the Football For All Programme. The collaboration to support the foundations and growth of the Football For All programme represents a significant milestone in our collective efforts to make football more inclusive and accessible across New Zealand.

The Football For All programme is an initiative that removes barriers for participants to play football, such as registration fees, equipment costs, transportation difficulties and communication barriers. The programme works predominantly with refugee and immigrant communities, lower socio-economic families, and our local Pasifika and Iwi. The foundations of the Football For All programme have been developed with the aim of fostering inclusivity, participation, and well-being by using football as a vehicle to help specific communities who otherwise would not have the opportunity to experience and engage with sport.

In partnership, Capital Football and the Wellington Phoenix have been at the forefront of this programme for the last 4 years via the Football For The Community Development Trust (FCDT), an off shoot registered Charity of both organisations set up for the purposes of this programme. Starting from a base of 47 participants in the 2020 season, 102 participants in the 2021, 462 participants in 2022, the 2023 iteration saw 1051 participants engage with the programme.

Thanks to the continued support from the Football For All funders, including the Lloyd Morrison Trust, Up Foundation, New Balance, and New Zealand Police the programme has evolved into a sustainable opportunity for many to take their first step onto a football field or futsal court.

With NZCT’s in principle commitment of $300,000 every year across a three-year period (2024-2026), the Football For All programme is estimating to remove barriers for just shy of 8,000 rangatahi and tamariki across the country to access some form of football or futsal. Along with this, the support from NZCT and the Federations has allowed the Football For All programme to expand to place further resources across the country in the northern, central and southern regions. On the 12th of April at the annual Football For All launch, Wellington Phoenix and Capital Football presented NZCT’s Ben Hodges with a commemorative jersey to signify the milestone.

“We were thrilled to be able to present Ben one of the first Football For All jerseys”
Programme director Jess McFadyen stated.

“We are immensely grateful for the support of NZCT and our other partners, which allows us to continue removing barriers for participants across New Zealand. The launch event was a celebration of this collaboration, and seeing participants pick up their gear for the season is absolutely one of the highlights”.

The Wellington Phoenix match against the Melbourne victory saw many of the 2024 participants receive their gear for the season.

“It’s fantastic, as a Club, we couldn’t be prouder to be involved in the Football For All programme”
Commented Wellington Phoenix GM David Dome.

“What started 4 or 5 years ago as just a small, localised programme is now truly changing the landscape of football in New Zealand. A testament to the dedication of everyone involved, from our funders to the participating community groups to the football clubs themselves.”

At the recent Wellington Phoenix Awards, the Football For All programme was also able to make a presentation to David Dome and the Lloyd Morrison Trusts’ Rob Morrison.

“The Phoenix and Rob have been the driving force behind the programme”
Employed McFadyen.

“There are so many integral partners in the programme, from Rakesh Naidoo at New Zealand Police, our community group Leaders from Red Cross, Multi-Cultural Council, Changemakers to Capital Footballs Todd Bryant, not to mention the Capital Football Clubs, who go above and beyond to ensure the success of the programme. However, when it comes down to it, the programme would not exist without the support from Rob and David”

With the collective efforts of all partners involved, the Football For All Programme is poised to make a profound difference in the lives of thousands of rangatahi and tamariki, ensuring that football remains a sport for all.

Capital Football would like to thank all of the partners involved in the success of the Football For All Programme:

New Zealand Community Trust, Lloyd Morrison Trust, Up Foundation, New Balance.

Northern Region Football, WaiBOP Football, Central Football, Mainland Football, Southern Football, and College Sport Wellington.

Caltex Stokes Valley, Football Central, Inter Football, and The Sports Den.

Red Cross, Multi-Cultural Council, Change Makers Resettlement Forum, Mangere Refugee Resettlement Centre, Refugees as Survivors New Zealand, MBIE, New Zealand Police.

Capital Football Clubs
Brooklyn Northern United, Island Bay United AFC, Lower Hutt AFC, Miramar Rangers AFC, Naenae Football Club, North Wellington FC, Onslow FC, Petone FC, Stokes Valley FC, Stop Out, Tawa FC, Upper Hutt City AFC, Wainuiomata, Waterside Karori, Wellington United, Western Suburbs.

Northern Region Football Clubs
Bay Olympic, Mt Albert Ponsonby FC, Papakura FC, Ellerslie FC, Auckland United, Fencibles, Western Spring, Eastern Suburbs.

Waibop Football Club
Ngongotaha AFC.

Mainland Football Clubs
Cashmere Technical FC, Coastal United, FC 2011, Ferrymead Bay, Halswell United FC, Hornby United, Nomads United, Parklands United, SAS FC, Selwyn United FC, Tamai Sports, University of Canterbury.

For more information on the Football For All programme, from supporting the programme to applying for the programme, please contact Jess McFadyen at jess@capitalfootball.org.nz

Article added: Tuesday 02 July 2024