Junior Football | 5 - 12 Years
Registrations are now OPEN for the 2025 season.
REGISTER HERE
ON THIS PAGE:
- Overview
- Junior Player Pathways
- Mixed Junior Training Schedule
- Girls Only Training Schedule
- Junior Club Season Dates
- Junior Fees
- What gear does my player need?
- Volunteer Coaches
KEY DATES:
- 20 December: Registrations Open
- 11, 12, 13 March: Junior Pre-Season Training starts for U9 - U17 only
- 18 & 19 March: U7 & U8 Junior Pre-Season Training starts
- 25 & 26 March: U5 & U6 Junior Pre-Season Training starts
- 28 March: 2025 Registrations Close
- Friday 11 April: 2025 Teams and Coaches Released
- 26 & 27 April: Junior Season starts
- 28 & 29 June: Junior Season ends
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Overview
Wānaka AFC offers both Mixed and Girls Only football for Juniors from Under 5 to Under 12.
Grading is based on the year of birth. 2025 Season:
2020 - U5 | 2019 - U6 | 2018 - U7 | 2017 – U8 | 2016 – U9 | 2015 – U10 | 2014 – U11 | 2013 – U12 | 2012 – U13
Under 5’s:
For players wishing to play in the U5 grade, they must be 4 turning 5 in 2025 to participate, no younger.
Playing “up” or “down” grades:
If your player would like to request to play up or down a grade in 2024, please register them in their true age grade and send us a message at info@wanakafootball.nz. Wānaka AFC staff will relocate them to the relevant age grade/team in the system at a later date.
Wānaka AFC will place players into teams once registrations close. Each team will be allocated a volunteer coach for the season, who will run training and manage game day with support from Wānaka AFC coaches and staff.
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Player Pathways
Club Football
Our club football pathway provides the opportunity for players to play football for the duration of the club season. The emphasis is on fun and ensuring players have an enjoyable experience while also learning new skills. Players are required to commit to one training per week plus a game.
Throughout the remainder of the year, players will also have the opportunity to play Futsal or Street Football in Term 3, and Summer 5-a-side football in Term 4. At times in the year, players may also have the opportunity to represent Wānaka AFC at various tournaments around the South Island.
Enthusiastic players aged U7-U12 who are eager for more football during this time or outside of the club season may also choose to register for our Pre-Academy which is open to anyone; there is no identification or trial process. It runs year-round, term by term.
Pre-Academy & The Academy
The Pre-Academy provides opportunities for enthusiastic players (girls and boys U7-U12) who have an appetite for more football. The Pre-Academy is open to anyone in this age group; there is no identification or trial process. It runs year-round, term by term.
The Academy at Wānaka AFC offers a year-round football programme for aspirational young players (girls and boys) who are highly committed and motivated to develop their football.
Participation in The Academy programme runs year-round and is by invitation only, or, players can contact us directly to trial.
Girls-Only Football
Girls can choose to play in Mixed or Girls-Only teams for the club season. There is the option for Girls-Only teams to play 'down a grade' or 'true to age' in Mixed competitions. There are currently not enough teams to make up an entire Girls-Only competition in our region. Girls-Only teams will be contingent on numbers in each age, and in some instances, ages may need to be combined in order to create a team. There will also be opportunities for Girls-Only teams to represent Wānaka AFC at tournaments later in the year.
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Mixed Junior Training Schedule
U5 & U6
Wednesday | 3.30 - 4.15pm | Kellys Flat
Begins Wednesday 26 March | Ends Wednesday 25 June
U7 & U8
Wednesday | 3.30 - 4.30pm | Kellys Flat
Begins Wednesday 18 March | Ends Wednesday 25 June
U9 & U10
Tuesday | 3.30 - 4.45pm | Wānaka Recreation Centre
Begins Tuesday 11 March | Ends Tuesday 24 June
U11, U12 & U13
Wednesday | 4.00 - 5.15pm | Wānaka Recreation Centre
Begins Wednesday 12 March | Ends Wednesday 25 June
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Girls-Only Junior Training Schedule
U5 - U13 Girls
Training for all girls wishing to play Girls-Only football will be on Tuesday afternoons at Kellys Flat.
Please note the different start dates and start/finish times for each age-grade
U5-U6 Girls:
3.30 - 4.15pm | Kellys Flat
Begins Tuesday 25 March | Ends Tuesday 24 June
U7 - U9 Girls:
3.30 - 4.30pm | Kellys Flat
Begins Tuesday 18 March | Ends Tuesday 24 June
U10+ Girls:
3.30 - 4.45pm | Kellys Flat o
Begins Tuesday 18 March | Ends Tuesday 24 June
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Junior Club Season Dates
The Junior Club Season begins Sunday 27 April, running for 10 weeks, ending Sunday 29 June.
Under 5 - Under 8 players will play in a Wānaka-based in-house competition which is held at Kellys Flat every Sunday morning from 9am.
Under 9 - Under 12 teams will travel within the Central Otago region, playing on Sunday mornings between Wānaka, Queenstown, Cromwell and Alexandra.
Below are the 2025 game dates. The locations for each game week are currently being confirmed. These will be updated soon, and a competition draw will be released closer to the season.
Week 1: Sunday 27 April - Location TBC
Week 2: Sunday 4 May - Location TBC
Week 3: Sunday 11 May - Location TBC
Week 4: Sunday 18 May - Location TBC
Week 5: Sunday 25 May - Location TBC
Week 6: Sunday 1 June - Location TBC
Week 7: Sunday 8 June - Location TBC
Week 8: Sunday 15 June - Location TBC
Week 9: Sunday 22 June - Location TBC
Week 10: Sunday 29 June - Location TBC
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Junior Fees
Under 5 & 6: $115.00
Junior and Youth: $165.00
For a break-down of where your registration fees go, please click HERE.
Fees must be paid online at the time of registration with a valid credit or debit card. If this is not possible for you, please contact us at info@wanakafootball.nz to discuss other payment options.
Support with Fees:
We never want cost to be a barrier to participation, and we are here to help, so please contact us if you would like to put a payment plan in place to pay membership fees in instalments or to discuss options around financial assistance.
Sibling Discount: For families with three or more children registered to play with Wānaka AFC for the season, we offer a 50% discount on the eldest child’s membership fee.
Volunteer Coach Discount: Volunteer Coaches will receive a 50% discount on the fees of the child whose age group they coach for the club season. This will be offered as a rebate to coaches at the end of the season.
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What gear does my player need?
Wānaka AFC will provide:
- 1x game day playing kit per player - Wānaka AFC shirt and shorts to be returned at the end of the season
- All gear and equipment for training and game day - balls, bibs, cones, goalkeeper gloves
Players need to have their own:
- Shin pads
- Football boots
- Plain black football socks for game day
If you need support sourcing the appropriate gear for your player, please reach out - we are happy to help!
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Volunteer Coaches
As always, we are on the lookout for volunteer coaches for 2024! With 50+ Junior and Youth teams in the club, we rely on our amazing volunteers to support our young players and make the football season run smoothly.
If you’re interested in becoming a Junior or Youth volunteer coach next season, please let us know! To show our appreciation for your time, we offer volunteer coaches a 50% membership fee discount for one of your children playing Junior football. This will be offered as a rebate to coaches at the end of the season.
Do not fear! The club will offer amazing support to volunteer coaches to help you on your journey! We will offer plenty of coach education opportunities, session plans and lots of practical guidance and information to help you and your team have an awesome season!
Email us at: info@wanakafootball.nz to express your interest and let us know the age group you’re keen to coach.
Coach Education Modules
There will be a series of Coach Education Modules in early 2025. Coaches are welcome to attend any number of the below sessions.
The two sessions in March will take place the week prior to 2025 training commencing, and attendance at these is required for all 2025 coaches.
Optional Attendance:
- Monday 10 Feb (U6-U8)
- Tuesday 11 Feb (U11-U13)
- Thursday 14 Feb (U9-U10)
- Monday 17 Feb (U6-U8)
- Tuesday 18 Feb (U11-U13)
- Thursday 20 Feb (U9-U10)
- Monday 24 Feb (U6-U8)
- Tuesday 25 Feb (U11-U13)
- Thursday 27 Feb (U9-U10)
Required Attendance for all 2025 Coaches:
- Tuesday 4 March: All U9 - U13 Coaches
- Wednesday 5 March: All U5 - U8 Coaches
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