Football has been played in New Zealand for over 150 years.

Over that time, clubs have formed, merged and faded away. We’ve seen women banned from pitches for 50 years, and a slow growth of the beautiful game. By 2019, football was the number one participation sport in the country, something that’s still true today.

Organised matches and football leagues started around the late 1880s, with volunteer football associations being formed across the country to create and manage leagues. 

By 1999, football in New Zealand was administered by 23 men’s district associations, 18 women’s FAs and an unknown number of junior football associations.

Football and other sporting codes were being advised by central funding bodies that to grow the codes there was need to switch to a more streamlined governance model. 

Also in 2001, FIFA required all teams competing on the international stage to have one association in charge.

The 23 men’s and 18 women’s FAs were disbanded, and seven federations were formed: United Soccer1, Soccer2, Force3, Central Soccer, Capital Soccer, Mainland Soccer, and Soccersouth. Junior Associations followed in a trickle, with many not aligning fully for another 10 years. Secondary schools have, for the most part, stayed independent.

Force 3 – later WaiBOP Football - was formed to administer football in the Waikato and Bay of Plenty, regions that had been previously governed by the Waikato Football Association (Waikato FA) and the Bay of Plenty Football Association, and two women’s football associations. 

2025 marks a quarter century of WaiBOP Football Federation. It also marks the 75th anniversary of the formation of the Waikato FA, which was renamed from the South Auckland Football Association by constitutional amendment in 1950. 

Early years: formation and growing pains (2000–2006) 

The first constitution was filed in 2001 with the incorporated societies register. 

The early 2000s were a turbulent time. Force 3 began with just one staff member and limited resources. The transition from legacy associations brought with it political challenges, unclear structures and financial strain. Reports from the time reflect high staff turnover, operational deficits and friction with junior associations and secondary schools.

By 2003, Force 3 had posted its first operating surplus and moved to offices in Norton Road, Hamilton, with a staff of four. By 2006, 8 staff were running competitions across the region, and the Federation moved to the Gallagher Building, in Hamilton.

A name change, and a new direction (2007-2009)

In 2007, NZ Soccer rebranded to New Zealand Football, with the Federations following suit. Force 3 became WaiBOP Football. 

NZ Football introduced affiliation fees to junior players, which was not a popular move for clubs and schools. While New Zealand Football faced a financial crisis, WaiBOP was stabilising, steady at eight staff, expanding junior programmes and supporting regional talent.

The region hosted matches for the FIFA 2008 U-17 Women’s World Cup in Hamilton and Rotorua. 

Growth, development and national competitions (2009–2013)

The Whole of Football Plan was launched nationally in 2010, and bought with it a mandate to roll out new formats across the region. It also bought additional central funding, and Football Development Officers were hired in Hamilton, Tauranga and Rotorua. 

Representative programmes for juniors and youth were run throughout the region by the Federation. In 2010, these transitioned to New Zealand Football Skill Centres,  Regional Talent Centres, and Federation Talent Centres. Coach education and referee development became core services, alongside running junior, youth and senior leagues. 

The National League franchise team, WaiBOP United, was run by the Federation from 2013 to 2015.

In 2010, GoalNet was introduced, the first online player registration/database system, and the Junior Associations in Rotorua, Western Bay of Plenty and Waikato were dissolved and aligned to WaiBOP Football.

Participation and pathway evolution (2014–2019)

Player numbers grew steadily, getting to over 14,000 by 2018. More clubs adopted the Whole of Football Plan Junior Framework, and junior and youth development began shifting from federation-led programmes to club-led delivery. Representative programmes were phased out. 

WaiBOP managed representative teams in the National Women’s League and futsal competitions. Futsal experienced rapid growth, with junior leagues, school engagement and national tournament representation increasing year on year.

The 2015 FIFA U-20 Men’s World Cup was viewed very successfully, with eight games held in Hamilton. 

In 2016, WaiBOP moved to their current offices at Brian Perry Sports House on the Rotokauri Wintec campus.

New Zealand Football and the federations adopted a new digital platform in 2018, moving from GoalNet to the COMET system. 

Covid disruptions and rebuild (2020–2021)

Like all sport, football was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. Seasons were shortened, some competitions cancelled, and many annual awards were paused. 

Recent years: growth, future planning and inclusion (2022–2025)

From 2022 to 2024, registered football players grew from 14,282 to over 16,500. Female participation reached 26% of the total player base, with more than 4,900 girls and women registered in 2024. Futsal players increased to nearly 5,000 across over 600 teams.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2023 brought global football to local communities. Hamilton hosted five group-stage matches and a fan festival. Local clubs, volunteers and venues were part of the delivery.

Major progress was made in facility development planning. After more than a decade of working with local authorities, the first artificial turf in the region is in progress (Links Avenue in 2025) and a second one for Hamilton, at Korikori Park, is planned for 2026. The ongoing goal of creating a Home of Football in Hamilton remains elusive.

Legacy and ongoing impact

WaiBOP has supported the early development of top players like Chris Wood, Olivia Chance and Marco Rojas, as well as referees like Peter O'Leary, Sarah Jones and Nadia Murrihy Browning. 

Today, the Federation serves over 17,000 players, thousands of volunteers and hundreds of coaches and referees across a vast and diverse region.

WaiBOP by the numbers (2000–2025)

• Player growth - 2025: 17,513 registered players
• Staff: From 1 in 2000 to 19 in 2025 (Full and Part time)
• Board members: 36 in total, with four serving 10+ years
• Long-serving contributors: David Ireland (17 years), Patsi Davies (14), Merv Williams (18), Mark Browning (12 and current chair).

We’re currently working on collating WaiBOP Football’s history. If you have some stories or photos to share from the last 25 years, please get in touch with Rachel Lilburn rachel.l@waibop.co.nz
 

Article added: Thursday 14 August 2025