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the club |
Based in Newtown, Wellington, New Zealand, Wellington United AFC club boasts one of the finest playing surfaces in Wellington known as Newton Park. We support and provide Junior, Senior Men and Womens grade soccer at all levels. The Wellington United club room has bar service, TV, and kitchen facility. Of course, we also have all the essentials such as change rooms, showers, referee room, etc. Wellington United affiliates with Team Wellington, Wellingtons only representation in the New Zealand Football Championship. We endorse FIFA fair play and code of conduct for football. CLUB LOCATION: Newtown Park, Wellington. PO Box 14-194, Kilbirnie, Wellington, NZ Phone 04-389 9535 |
THE FAMILY TREE Wellington United is a club with a successful history of amalgamations of ethnic immigrants who spoke the common language of football or soccer as some prefer to call it. In the late 1950's, Dutch Settlers who came to NZ to join in the building and plastering "boom" and formed a club called "Zealandia" and eventually changed their name to Wellington United. The "Dutchies" as they are more commonly known were just as fanatical about their football then as they are today and realised if the club was to survive they would have to join forces with another club and Diamonds was the obvious neighbourly one to join with. It happened, and the all powerful Wellington Diamond United combine was formed and for almost 2 decades W.D.U. were a major force in NZ soccer winning Central league and National League titles. HUNGARIA The Ethnic boom period of the late fifties and early sixties also involved another fanatical group of footballers from Hungary. Some of these players were brilliant and could well have been very good professional footballers in England or anywhere else in the world had they been re-settled in a footballing country. However they were sent to NZ as refugees which was hardly a strong soccer loving country. To cut a long story short, the Hungarians some of Miramar Rangers Management wanted a club strong enough to play in the new national soccer league. The Club name chosen as Wellington City AFC and they took Hungarias place in the National League. FINAL MERGER Wellington City and Wellington Diamond United were fierce opponents until 1986 when both teams joined as one club and renamed Wellington United. They were to be based at the Newtown Park Stadium. In 2006, the club celebrated its 20th year of amalgamation. KEY MEMBERS It would be very appropriate to mention some of the key people who have served the club throughout the 40 or so years of mergers and amalgamations and are still serving our club. Particularly the surviving members who have given an incredible amount of service. ZEALANDIA Max Brorens and Leo Zonneveld DIAMONDS Danny McCrorey and Sheila McCrorey HUNGARIA Keith Griffen, Frank Papp, Julius Beck WELLINGTON CITY Bob Minshull and John Shanks WORLD WIDE ROLL CALL No matter where in the world you are now living, if you played for any of the feeder clubs and would like to be remembered and are still interested in how the club is surviving, please send an email to Bob Minshull and your name will be added to our list of "where are you now membership". |
the history |