A written wrap-up of the season we had, because of the prizegiving we couldn’t have.
From the President:
Firstly, I would like to take this opportunity to express the disappointment I think we all feel due to the shortened season yet again, and the fact that we were unable to celebrate the year in our usual Rovers fashion.
As always, the committee and I thank all the sponsors, coaches, managers, members, volunteers and supporters from the junior teams through to our seniors. Your continued support throughout the year and the countless hours that you have all devoted to the club don’t go unnoticed – without it Rovers wouldn’t exist, and it is a privilege to be able to help run such a great club.
We look forward to celebrating with you when we are able and have tentatively booked mid-February next year to have a summer senior prizegiving/bbq/pre-season, with the chance for all the winners to receive their trophies in person (for photo’s only, sorry!), and for all of us to celebrate the closing of Season 2021. I didn’t want to mention COVID-19, but it will be our way of (hopefully) sending it off and starting Season 2022 on the right foot.
Our Junior/Youth teams had some success this year, while our senior men still have some cup games to play, along with three teams finishing second in their leagues. The W-League women also finished second this season – great effort by Cliff, Soley and the ladies!
Our Club Academy has gone from strength to strength thanks to a huge amount of effort from Keith and the Waikato Football Academy (Cossey, Tina and all the coaches involved), and we look forward to those developing players making the jump to senior football in the future.
Thank you to the 2021 Committee, again thank you to all club members for your support throughout the year, and a big congratulations to all our award winners!
Northern League Men:
As always, thanks to the club, coaches, managers, supporters, players, ladies in the kitchen, and the bar staff, we’re glad you stuck with us through a rough year. It’s great to know you will always put the time and effort in to keep the team going and cheer the boys on. Special mention to Supes and Jimmy who have everything ready for us on game days at Galloway.
After a mixed season in a broken up 2021 we have something solid to build on for next year. I look forward to a fit squad and a full complement of games to really show what we can do, and to see how far we can go.
Well done to the boys who received awards this year, I’m pleased with how you competed throughout the season. And it was nice to see Bobble scrape in on Golden Boot (we had three others on seven goals).
Lastly, I’d like to thank my coaching and management team, appreciate your time and effort every season.
Cheers, Cossey.
Men’s wrap:
A frugal season for the men’s side of the club, with no league winners. There is hope for the Wallys and Vets though, with both making the Semi-Finals of the Waikato Cup, which is to be played in the New Year. Let’s hope for an all Rovers final!
Shout-outs to the Wallys, Galacticos & O35’s for finishing 2nd in their respective leagues.
The young lads in the U17’s side made a good step up into mens football and had a strong finish to their season.
The Squatters once again sucked, but made strong contributions to the bar.
Congratulations to all award winners and I am looking forward to seeing you all at the muster next year, as well as some new faces.
Cheers, Geoff.
Women’s wrap:
Well another season that had some interruptions from new member Delta… nevertheless most of our women’s leagues did get wrapped up.
Our W-League women had a great season, finishing second in the table under the coaching duo of Cliff and Jeff. As a club we are very proud of the season’s efforts and look forward to seeing where the next few years take us.
The Division 1 ladies team had a mixed bag of results for their season. A very young team mixed with a few veterans allowed the more youthful side to experience senior women’s football in the Waikato and see what it is about. Coaches Russ and Nat provided a good space for the above to happen and the team appreciated the positive space offered throughout the season.
The Div 2 ladies were in the very capable hands of Dom this season. A lot of players came and went due to serious injuries, but there were a lot of smiles, laughs, super-subs and everything else in between. You might say this team is the heart and soul of the women’s side of the club… results didn’t go their way but it doesn’t take away the fact seeing women in football warms the heart regardless of the result!
Abbi.