Supporters back Auckland City FC Family Day

Words: ACFC Media

Thursday 3 November 2016

Picture: Phototek

Their team has dominated the New Zealand and Oceania domestic football scene for over 10 years and now their small but vocal fanbase is backing the club with a community focused push.

The Navy Blues host Canterbury United in the Stirling Sports Premiership at Kiwitea Street on Sunday 6 November and supporters group spokesman John Palethorpe says the group's push to highlight Auckland City FC's community work starts now.

"Auckland City FC competes at the highest level of FIFA club competition, but sometimes it seems we don't get recognised in our own city. We'd like to change that"

"That's why we've reached out to local schools, football clubs and our community in and around Sandringham to welcome them to Kiwitea Street on match days but also put back into the local community as well. This club belongs to the supporters, it belongs to Sandringham and it belongs to Auckland as a whole"

The supporters club, with the support of Auckland City FC, has announced this Sunday's match as "Family Day" with over 1,500 match tickets distributed to local schools.

Auckland City FC players Clayton Lewis and Alfie Rogers have backed the "Family Day" initiative and will visit Good Shepherd's Primary, Wesley Intermediate, Wesley Primary and Edendale Primary schools over the next few weeks.

Club chairman Ivan Vuksich was delighted by the response of the club's core support and echoed the sentiments and values at the heart of Family Day expressed by Palethorpe.

"There is a misconception that because of Auckland City FC's successes at home and abroad that it is somehow commercially equal to the likes of some of the teams they've beaten over the years.

"That's simply not the case - the club has been able to convey a message of excellence but we remain small in terms of our membership with modest turn out for matches.

"We have a strong focus on the acceptance of everyone at our club - we are a New Zealand club with a strong Kiwi flavour in everything we do but the idea we're also multicultural and thus reflect the make-up of the city we represent is at its core," Vuksich said.

The Family Day offer allows one child into the stadium with an accompanying adult who attends free. The family can then have their photo taken at the ground with players not involved in the match as a memento of the day.

"The most important asset in our community in this day and age are our youngsters and we see sport as an important tool to educate children about the ups and downs life brings.

"Auckland City FC has played an active role in social responsibility projects within a pacific context in Fiji, Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.

"We feel its an appropriate time to include the suburbs within our immediate vicinity in that reach," Vuksich said.

Auckland City FC also welcomes the family of Mount Albert Ponsonby AFC's Brian "Stan" Stanyer who recently passed away.

The club has donated a new trophy the Brian Stanyer Memorial Trophy to be played for between Central United and Mount Albert Ponsonby each winter.

The trophy will be presented to the Stanyer family on November 26 when Auckland City FC host Hawke's Bay United at Kiwitea Street in their final home game before heading to the FIFA Club World Cup in Japan.

Ends

 

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