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Registrations for the 2023 winter season are open now.

KEY DATES

Season starts 28 April.

Season ends 2 September.

Saturdays at Memorial Park:

First Kicks: 10 to 11am.

7th and 8th Grade: 8:30 to 9:30am or 10am to 11am.

No football middle weekend of school holidays.

About first kicks?

About First Kicks

First Kicks is for players turning age 4 to 6 this calendar year.

Teams

Players are placed into small teams of about 5 players at the start of the season. The teams are put together by grade coordinators, who will aim to place your child with their friends or kids from the same school.

On Saturday mornings

First Kicks mixes small sided games and fun skill building activities. Teams participate in a range of these games and activities each Saturday morning.

The games and activities are aimed at developing a wide range of skills and abilities, such as dribbling, shooting, passing and general movement and balance. They are designed to be fun, using variations on games like bull rush, tag, and stuck in the mud to emphasise and develop certain skills.

About 7th and 8th Grade

7th Grade is for players turning age 7 this calendar year.

8th Grade is for players turning age 8 this calendar year.

Teams

Players are placed into small teams of between about 5 to 8 players at the start of the season. The teams are put together by grade coordinators, who will aim to place your child with their friends or kids from the same school.

Mid-week trainings

Teams usually participate in a parent led training after school once a week. Trainings are aimed at developing a wide range of skills and abilities, such as dribbling, shooting, passing and general movement and balance. They are designed to be fun, using variations on games like bull rush, tag, and stuck in the mud to emphasise and develop certain skills.

Saturday games

On Saturdays, teams play against other Petone teams in 5v5 games. Teams generally begin with a brief skills session to warm up and then play play three 12 minute games.

"Festival Weekend"

Every third Saturday is "Festival Weekend".

Teams play an inter-club tournament these weekends. The tournaments are held around the Hutt Valley, meaning that games may be at locations around the region. Capital Football publishes a draw the week before each Festival Weekend, which determines when and where you will play.

When and where?

Key dates

Season start: Saturday 28 April

Season end: Saturday 2 September

First kicks runs each Saturday at Memorial Park from 10am to 11am.

7th Grade and 8th Grade also run on Saturdays and Memorial Park, but alternate between 8:30am to 9:30am (on the warm up turf) and 10am to 11am (on the grass).

Note that 7th and 8th may play at a different time and location during Festival Weekends.

School holiday break

First Kicks runs on the first and last weekend of the school holidays, but we take a break for Easter weekend (if it falls during the season) and the middle weekend of the holidays.

School Holiday and Summer Programmes

The club runs a popular school holiday programme, and summer programmes during terms 1 and 4. We would love to see your child involved! More information can be found on the "Programmes" page here.

What gear do you need?

Players need to have their own:

Plain blue shorts.
Blue football socks.
Football boots.
Shin pads.

Football boots and shin pads can be bought from most sports stores and off TradeMe. Socks and shorts can be purchased from Football Central or from most sports retailers in Wellington.

The club provides each team with the following gear at the beginning of the season (all of which must be returned at the end of the season):

Blue Petone FC playing tops (1 per player).
Bibs.
A player of the day trophy and certificates.

Balls, cones and other gear required for Saturday morning games and activities are provided on the day.

Coaches and managers

We want to create a fun and positive environment for our players. The more support, encouragement and involvement from parents the better!

Team management

Each team needs a coach/manager to:

take responsibility for the team's gear, and ensure it is all returned at the end of the season;
act as a point of contact for the team - for example, making sure players know when and where to turn up on Saturdays; and
award the player of the day award each weekend.

Coaching

Trainings/activities/games are led by parents and volunteers, so we need your input to help make the season a success. You don't need to be a football pro - you just need to be enthusiastic and willing to learn. The club provides a range of coach development trainings and resources to help keen coaches improve their coaching ability.

Refereeing

Games need to be managed by a parent or other volunteer. Refereeing courses are available to those interested in upskilling - but at this age refereeing is not strict and should focus on keeping games running with minimum stoppages.