With the recent success of the All Whites in South Africa, there is a renewed interest in the beautiful game. Many New Zealand children learn to play soccer from a young age, giving them invaluable ball skills and improving their co-ordination.
Our youngest son spent a number of years playing for North Shore United and we really enjoyed travelling to different parts of the North Shore and greater Auckland to watch him play each weekend. We got to know the other parents, got to enjoy the bracing winter weather and encouraged our son in something he absolutely loved to do. As an adult, he still plays club soccer on the Shore.
You can watch a local club match, from teeny tots to First Grade senior level, usually free of charge. You may choose to support your local club, or find a game that promises to be particularly exciting. Winston Reid was a pupil at Milford Primary school until the age of 10 when his family moved to Denmark. Who knows what future football stars you might watch this weekend at your local sports field?
Click here to see the schedule of games for Glenfield Rovers
View the fixtures for North Shore United AFC
View Albany United fixtures here
View Birkenhead United fixtures here
View East Coast Bays fixtures here