Football club calls foul on field slice

Central United and its national league franchise, Auckland City Football Club, have asked Auckland Council for a "fair allocation" of fields. Photo / Dean Purcell

The football club that was last year the toast of New Zealand with its historic international success says it has had to turn away youngsters because of a lack of playing fields.

Central United and its national league franchise, Auckland City Football Club, have asked Auckland Council for a "fair allocation" of fields and help with upgrading its No 1 field at Freyberg Park in Sandringham.

Less than a year ago, Auckland City FC won a bronze medal at the 2014 Fifa Club World Cup in Morocco.

The promise of the success opening a new golden era for football in New Zealand fuelled ambitions to continue to develop players of international quality, said spokesman Michael Marinovich, who led a deputation, including All White legend Ivan Vicelich, to the council's parks, recreation and sport committee.

He said the success made Central United a magnet for promising young talent from across Auckland. It had 63 teams and 1000 members.

"And yet, we have just one dedicated club pitch - Freyberg Field, which has been developed solely at the expense of our club members."

The club had to spend $68,000 a year on hiring other community and school facilities to get by.

Mr Marinovich said the club had "not seen a cent" of the capital investment made by the council in sports and park development, which last year was $28 million.

The club had lobbied for the upgrading of Nixon Park in Kingsland but rugby was taking it over. It had been reallocated shared-use fields at Warren Freer Park.

Mr Marinovich said a club of Central United's size needed an additional base facility, with a minimum of three dedicated fields and associated amenities.

Committee chairwoman Christine Fletcher said the council was awaiting a comprehensive study with evidence for making decisions on future sports field provision in the next financial year.

Central United

• 63 teams
• 1000 members
• 8th biggest club in Auckland
• 1 dedicated pitch - Freyberg Field, paid for by the club
• $68,000 spent this year hiring supplementary fields

Auckland City

• 36 teams of boys and girls attend its annual under 17s tournament
• 5-year goal to join Wellington Phoenix in Australia's Hyundai A-League.