The inaugural tournament was part of a government strategy to re-establish tourism.
New Zealand teams have been taking part since 2008, thanks to the efforts of Hawke’s Bay-based organisers Kerry Bartlett and the late Bruce Macdonald.
Together with England, Australia, Iran and hosts Thailand, New Zealand have been regular competitors, while other countries come and go according to the enthusiasm and means of their players and organisers.
This was Ure’s first time at the tournament, which is held in a different part of Thailand each year.
The host area this year was Pathum Thani, a province in central Thailand, just north of the capital Bangkok.
Two groups of four contested the preliminary stages. England, Indonesia, New Zealand and Thailand were in one, and Iran, Taiwan, Australia and Vietnam were in the other.
Games were 80 minutes long, played in temperatures in the high 30s (celsius) with 80 to 90 percent humidity.
Ure, 44, played in every match. He started in the plum game against England, who boasted several players with English Football League experience. Barry Hayles made over 200 appearances for Fulham, Ian Cox played 173 games for Bournemouth and Deon Burton played 125 games for Derby County.
New Zealand had a squad of 21 players, and the conditions — allied to the rules of the tournament — meant they were well used.
“You have to have three over-50s on the pitch at any one time,” Ure said. “Rolling subs apply only to that age group.
“You must have four over-45s on the pitch, and the rest can be over-40s. I turn 45 in the year of competition (November), so I counted as one of the over-45s.”
Ure got 40 minutes (the first half) on the field against England. The shortest spell he had was 20 minutes and the longest, 60 minutes (against Iran in the semifinal).
He was used on both the left and right sides of midfield and attack, up front, at rightback and, briefly, in the middle of the park.
New Zealand won their first game, against Thailand, 1-0. Next up they lost 1-0 to England, who went on to win the tournament for a record sixth time. New Zealand’s last pool game was against Indonesia, with whom they drew 1-1.
A total of four points was enough to get New Zealand into the semifinals — their goal going into the tournament. They played defending champions Iran, who had two players with World Cup experience.
New Zealand lost that one 3-0.
“We were 1-0 down into the last 10 minutes and were pushing for an equaliser,” Ure said. “They picked us off on the break. Then we played Australia for third place. It was 0-0 with 90 seconds to go, and they scored. We all flew forward, and they scored again . . . 2-0.
“England beat Iran 1-0 in the final.”
The pool games were played on the Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday.
“For the Thursday, the organisers had set up a one-on-one coaching day with some of the local kids, who were seven to 14 years old,” Ure said.
“We’d been encouraged to bring some kit from home to give to them. I gave the kid I was coaching a Gisborne Thistle cap and shirt.
“Thistle donated a lot of gear to hand out . . . I’m grateful for that. The New Zealand table of gear was the most generous there, even though we got no funding and it was all donated by the players and their clubs.
“The next day, after we’d played the semifinal, the young lad I’d coached came running over to me. He’d got his mother to bring him down to watch the game.”
The response of the local youngsters made the coaching day the highlight of the tournament for Ure. But the tournament offered plenty of high points.
“I didn’t know what to expect,” he said.
“I’d got myself as fit as I could. I was quite surprised at how high the level was.
“I think it was probably the most intense preparation, tactics and game management I have experienced since Central League days.
“We’re older than we were in our prime, but we put the maximum effort in, and the tactical awareness was good. And everyone had got themselves in good nick.”
Player-managers Graham Little and David Batty had both played national league football with Miramar Rangers, and so the team they picked had a strong Wellington feel to it.
“They were really hot on making sure it was a good group,” Ure said.
“We were together for 12 days. They were focused on people being of good character.
“If you wanted to be in the team, you had to pay your own way, you had to have been a decent player and you had to still be playing at a decent level. And you had to be able to get the time off work.”
Nelson-born Ure — a Gisborne resident from the age of one, when he arrived with parents Charlie and Wendy — met the requirements.
A solicitor with a local law firm, of which he is a director, Ure could get the time off work.
And he had the football credentials.
He had played for Gisborne City in 1995 and ’96, Lower Hutt from 1997 to ’99 (the last of those years in the short-lived North Island Soccer League), Olympic in 2000 and 2001, Island Bay from 2002 to ’04, Gisborne City again in 2007 (after a spell overseas) and Gisborne Thistle from then on.
Ure said the tournament team was not an official New Zealand side.
“But I did get a kick out of finally getting to play for New Zealand,” he said. “And the camaraderie of the group was brilliant.”
He said he’d like to go again next year but it would need to work in with family commitments to wife Mel and children Grace, 15, and George, 12.
