United to play on Sundays at home

Wairarapa United are to play all their home games in the Capital Soccer premier division men's competition on Sundays next season.
This was announced after a sponsorship function in Masterton on Sunday with Wairarapa United coach Phil Keinzley saying the move from Saturdays was made with the idea of providing a greater opportunity for the Wairarapa soccer community to watch the action.
The Pugh Sports Bowl will again be the home ground for Wairarapa United and Keinzley anticipates crowds numbering several hundreds supporting the region's premier side on a regular basis.
"We want to give everyone associated with soccer locally the chance to watch them play and having our home games on Sundays will do that," Keinzley said. "It should be a big positive in that respect."
Keinzley also announced that if plans come to fruition Wairarapa United will be represented by no fewer than nine teams next season with the big news there being the reintroduction of a senior women's side which would play in the central league series.
It is about six seasons since Wairarapa United fielded a women's side and while Keinzley isn't predicting an immediate return to the halcyon days when they were one of the strongest combinations in the country he is confident the talent base is already good enough for them to give a solid account of themselves at central league level.
"We still have female players who have repped for New Zealand at senior or age group levels living here and if we can encourage most of them to play for us next year then we should do well," he said.
The eight Wairarapa United men's sides are scheduled to play in Capital Soccer competitions & premier division, third division, under-19 and junior (10yrs, 11yrs, 12yrs, 13yrs and 14yrs).
Next season will also see the Wairarapa United teams attired in a new strip which will prominently display the name of their new main sponsor, the Horse and Hound Caf? and Bar, whose financial support was described by Keinzley as "substantial".
Other very worthwhile sponsorships have been obtained through Umbro, a sportswear company who have been heavily involved in European soccer and who have chosen Wairarapa United as one of eight clubs in New Zealand to support, DB Breweries, Sports Arena, Wairarapa Times-Age and Greenlees Print.
The new strip is predominately green in colour and has the logos of the major sponsors on a red background.
Current Fiji skipper Pita Rabo will captain the Wairarapa United premier division side in 2008 and plans are for him to also be heavily involved in coaching in Wairarapa schools while another member of that squad, Guiseppe Cugliari, will be working with Sports Wairarapa as a soccer development coach in the Wairarapa region.
"They (Rabo and Cugliari) are ideal role models for soccer and to have them tutoring our promising youngsters is a huge boost for the game here," Keinzley said.