Whangārei Ethnic Football Festival back after Covid absence and bigger than ever

Willie Tegerobo representing the Solomon Islands in the Whangārei Ethnic Football Festival. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The Whangārei Ethnic Football Festival is back and bigger than ever after a year off due to Covid.

Around 200 people attended the event at Tikipunga Sports Park on Sunday, including spectators cheering teams on from the sidelines.

This year, 18 teams played in the festival, up from eight in the inaugural event six years ago.

The festival was organised by Multicultural Whangārei, Tikipunga Football and Northland Police and is supported by Whangārei District Council and the Rotary Club Whangārei.

One of the organisers, Mohammed Atiq, said he was pleased with the turnout and the way the festival has grown over the years.

"It started six years ago as a way of bringing the ethnic communities together on the sporting field," he said.

Lydia Tegerobo, from the Solomon Islands, playing in the Whangārei Ethnic Football Festival. Photo / Michael Cunningham

The idea came from other parts of the country that already held ethnic tournaments - the NZ Ethnic Football Festival in Hamilton began more than 20 years ago.

The festival was held in Whangārei in 2020, but not in 2021, due to Covid restrictions in place at the time.

"We had a break last year due to Covid, so it's great to see everybody back in the spirit again," Atiq said.

"The day's been really great, with a really positive atmosphere."

Although the weather was cloudy, that was preferable to playing football in the hot sun, Atiq added.

The teams, with players from countries including Fiji, the Solomon Islands and South Africa, were divided into premier and social categories.

There was no differentiation between men's and women's teams - all-male, all-female and mixed-gender teams played against each other.

Matt Brown, a Kiwi from Dargaville, playing for the Fijian team. Photo / Michael Cunningham

Each of the teams was required to have three players from their country of origin, but the remaining three could be from anywhere.

"One of the reasons for having the mix is to promote diversity in Whangārei," Atiq said.

Lydia Tegerobo, from the Solomon Islands, said she enjoyed representing her culture and playing with friends and family.

"Also, I wanted our own girls' team to represent our country," she added.

Football is Tegerobo's own favourite sport and the national sport of her home country, she said.

Matt Brown, a Kiwi playing for the Fijian team, said the day was a change from his usual games for Northern Wairoa's second division.

"It's a bit more chilled and a bit more fun, and you get to meet a lot of people. It's fantastic."

There were three teams playing that came from Dargaville to play in the festival, he said.