In 1921, Onehunga Mangere United was formed and operated on a field on Princes St, opposite the Exchange hotel. The club played under the name of Onehunga Methodist Church, which had the ambition of encouraging young men and ladies to take part in Sporting activities.

Fast forward to 1965 and the club made the move to the Sports grounds under Mangere Mountain, known today as Mangere Domain and subsequently renamed themselves, Onehunga Mangere United Sports Club, which eventually became Onehunga Mangere United, catering to both Football and Softball.

In present day, the football club competes in the Lotto NRFL Men’s Division Two, with several Junior, Youth and Senior teams taking part each weekend under the AFF Competition Structure.

On top of that, Onehunga Mangere United also have a large volunteer base, with a number of members taking part in coaching and managing teams, as well as officiating matches and helping organize tournaments.

AFF Media caught up with Club President, Steven Mateljan to talk more about the history of Onehunga Mangere United and shed some light on the honours they’ve achieved over the years.

“As a club, we’ve experienced the highs of winning the Chatham Cup in 1954 and many other trophies, but we’ve also experienced times of sinking down through the Senior grades” Mateljan said.

“Our first team currently competes in the Lotto NRFL Men’s Division Two and we’re hoping to make a push into the Lotto NRFL Men’s Division One over the next few seasons.”

“Over the years, we’ve also had All Whites play at the club and many representatives in our youth grade football teams have always looked up to these players.”

“Former All Whites Brian Turner, Dave Taylor, Tony Sibley and Clive Campbell have had turns at coaching our first team over the years and have each provided a good platform for our youth players while at the same time, acting as role models for those aspiring to play at the highest level of football.”

On top of the rich history OMUAFC currently possess, the club also looks to become a place for players to start their footballing careers and offers the opportunity to keep members involved in the game with their goal of growing the sport within the local area.

“Nowadays, we are a small club, but we want to keep moving along, sustain a good ‘family’ atmosphere and outline a place for players to start their footballing career” Mateljan said.

“Our goals are to have players/parents coming back year after year to keep playing for OMUAFC and to have more people assisting with the growth and delivery of the game, whether it’s coaching/managing, refereeing or even voluntary community work, every volunteer does their part and we’re grateful for that.”

“You can see the children of our past players chasing that round ball over the same pitches that their parents had run over in years gone by, showing off their inherited skills.”

To register at Onehunga Mangere United for the 2019 Footballing season, Click here

Article added: Wednesday 30 January 2019