Football: Not enough players in region to keep Team Taranaki in Central League says McGrath

Team Taranaki coach Ian McGrath. Photo/file

Team Taranaki have pulled the plug on Central League because of a dearth of players, according to long-time coach Ian McGrath.

McGrath said several players off this season for myriad reasons - professional, personal, injury, relocation - were unavailable and had left a void in experience in the squad.

"I was left with six players to transition from last year to this year. The difficulty was in building capacity from local footballers back to that number of 13 or 14," said the 46-year-old from New Plymouth, adding he had the leeway to supplement that number with talent from outside the province or overseas.

"We just couldn't get the engagement or interest from the next generation of local players because the depth of the core of players here in Taranaki wasn't proficient despite all our efforts to replace that number of players, which has proved impossible."

The senior manager at the New Plymouth District Council said he had explored different avenues with the high schools as well as the Federation League campaigners, New Plymouth Rangers, accustomed to travel but still came up shy.

"The viability was undermined by the lack of players in the local region."

McGrath said it was imperative to have a solid base of homegrown talent before import players could be grafted on to make it a valued proposition for fans to support the team.

"You need community support, jobs and employment as well as accommodation but if you're not strong in terms of the base squad it's virtually impossible to promote those players from overseas ... "

It was nine years of his life and McGrath was deeply disappointed considering he had invested time and energy with a nuclear group of people to not only keep the concept alive but also drive significant success.

Taking a half-strength team would have only exposed them.

"All the hard work we've put in place, it's disappointing that it won't continue but I think I'd rather reflect on all the other positives in terms of achievements recently but also in terms of representing our region."

He said the challenges facing regional teams to foot it in Central League included travelling, which was a barrier.

"It's a football problem in Taranaki but it's also, perhaps, a sporting problem in regions of New Zealand because times are changing people's desire to be involved in sport and be committed in a way it was required and willingly done years ago," said McGrath.

Family obligations, limited financial rewards and nine away games and the shortest distance drive of 5.5 hours all compounded the problem.

McGrath said the reaction from media and social media was fairly consistent in that it was supportive and positive in understanding our situation on a groundswell of acceptance that there was an air of inevitability about it.

"You know, if it wasn't going to happen this year it would happen the next year so it's quite sad that it has come to an end in this way."

The composite team concept is likely to end when the clubs there meet to discuss matters to revert a club structure as opposed to a representative one.

Central League also stipulates that if a team drop out they cannot return for another three years.

"Therefore, if we drop down to the Fed League to play we can't actually go back up."

Team Taranaki also operate on the endorsement of their member clubs on a three-year cycle. They had a year to go on that cycle.

By reverting to the club structure, he said, other clubs would be able to compete in the Fed League as separate entities to gain promotion to Central League.

"So it looks like I'll be having some free weekends and annoying my family for a third of the year rather than travelling around the country."

Team Taranaki, he said, was like a part-time role in time and commitment of a labour and love.