Football: Tournament for city's young talent

High schools from across the central North Island have entered teams and will compete from today to Sunday. Photo / Thinkstock

Better opportunities for Rotorua's best young footballers is one of the goals of the Geyser Football Tournament which starts today.

The annual tournament for high school teams is being held at Ray Boord Park and the Rotorua International Stadium this weekend.

It is the second year the competition has been held after taking over from the Western Heights High School Invitational tournament last year.

Geyser Football Tournament treasurer Chris Day said there was an increase in teams this year, with 19 boys' and girls' sides entered.

Day said one of the main goals of the tournament was to boost the profile of Geyser Football Club, which was established in 2013 to help young footballers in Rotorua.

"It's a little bit of a fundraiser for Geyser Football and a chance to carry on all the positive things that the old Western Heights tournament did," Day said. "It is also a good pre-season tournament."

Western Heights High School won both titles at the tournament last year in the boys' and girls' divisions, but will not be entering the girls' division this year.

High schools from across the central North Island have entered teams and will compete from today to Sunday.

Day said the Rotorua Lakes Council had been supportive in helping the club put on the event.

Geyser Football Club was established in 2013 with players from Rotorua United and Ngongotaha AFC combining to make stronger representative teams.

"So, what happens there is instead of having two clubs with two, half-good sides we are combining the teams," Day said.

"It is about trying to get the federation-level kids together so they don't have to drive over to Tauranga all the time.

"So we are basically trying to get rep football here in Rotorua."

He said Geyser currently competed in the federation competitions on a Sunday against the best clubs from around Waikato and Bay of Plenty in the under-13, under-15 and under-17 grades.

It did not interfere with Saturday football which was still contested by all the clubs in Rotorua.