FOOTBALL DEVELOPMENT OFFICER

Te Aroha Cobras Junior Football Club are excited to introduce our new Football Development Officer (FDO), Maddi Ollington, joining our club this season. We would like to thank COBRAS for their support for us to make this happen!

The Committee and Club feel very fortunate to have somebody of Maddi’s caliber at the club this season and as a successful and current football role model for our players. She is enthusiastic about youth football and we are excited to learn from her wealth of knowledge and experience. Maddi will be supporting all our teams, coaches and players from some coaching and game day support through to developing players in specific skills.

ABOUT MADDI:

● WAIBOP Women’s National League Captain, 2019

● WAIBOP National League Player, 2020

● Hamilton Wanderers, Premier League Player, current.

My name is Maddi Ollington. I have been living in the Waikato for around four years. I grew up in the Bay Of Plenty in a small community called Reporoa until I was about eight years old when we moved to Rerewhakaaitu. I have grown up participating in various sports from equestrian, athletics, cross country, cricket and netball but football was the sport I stuck with.

I have been playing football since I was around five years old. Playing in the junior leagues in Reporoa where I was introduced to Football. I always had the support from my parents especially my dad being someone who grew up in England and is also a strong Arsenal supporter (UP THE GUNNERS).

I continued playing in the mixed male/females age groups until I was around 14 years old. In 2011, I moved to Rotorua Girls High School and joined the First XI football team as well as playing under 19’s at Rotorua United. After high school, I continued playing for the Rotorua United women’s team in the Waikato/Bay Of Plenty federation league. We won this league and got the opportunity to play off for the Northern league which unfortunately didn’t go our way. The following year I decided it was time for a new challenge and to take that next step to playing in the Northern League. I signed up for Hamilton Wanderers Northern League women’s team. This involved a big commitment of hours of traveling to and from Hamilton while working full time on my parents dairy farm. In July 2017, I took the next big leap in my football development and ventured overseas to New Jersey In the USA where I was given the opportunity to play football at a College. I went over there to play soccer and study but unfortunately the study wasn’t really for me, so I finished my sophomore year at Sussex County community college before returning to New Zealand in December 2018.

On my return I decided I would continue to play football at Hamilton Wanderers as well as trial for the WAIBOP National league team. I was lucky enough to make the 2019 and 2020 WAIBOP national league squads which involved traveling around New Zealand playing against some of the best female footballers in the country. I was privileged with the captaincy of the 2019 WAIBOP women’s team.

This year I am leading the Hamilton Wanderers premier team into the 2023 season where we have 14 games played in Hamilton and Auckland. This all kicks off in March 2023.