Melville United were runners-up at the Chatham Cup twice, once in 2003 and most recently in 2019. Photo / Grant Stantiall
Melville United were runners-up at the Chatham Cup twice, once in 2003 and most recently in 2019. Photo / Grant Stantiall
Melville United are ready to take on Wellington club Waterside Karori in their semifinal match of the Chatham Cup in Hamilton this weekend.
If Melville win, they will take on either Christchurch United or Auckland club Eastern Suburbs - who play earlier on Saturday in Christchurch - in the final in September.
The Chatham Cup is New Zealand’s oldest men’s football premier knockout competition and celebrates its 100th anniversary this year, so Melville United hope to have the trophy on display at the semifinal game.
The match will take place at the recently upgraded Gower Park, which served as a training facility for the Fifa Women’s World Cup.
The incumbent Chatham Cup champions are Auckland City. If Melville win, it will be only the third time that a Waikato club takes home the trophy. The two previous Waikato clubs to win the Chatham Cup were Hamilton Technical in 1962 and Waikato United in 1988.
Melville United were runners-up twice, once in 2003 when Auckland club University-Mt Wellington took home the trophy, and most recently in 2019, when the Napier City Rovers won.
Melville United's Oliver Colloty at the recent Fifa U20 World Cup, where he represented New Zealand. Photo / Photosport
Meanwhile, Melville United also stood out in a recent report from NZ Football which identified the top U-20 players who played the most minutes in the Northern, Central and Southern Leagues. In that report, six Melville United players were noted in the top 10 players in the Northern League.
Late last year, Melville United striker Oliver Colloty finished as the top scorer for both New Zealand and Oceania at the Oceania men’s U-20 tournament. He was also a squad member of the New Zealand team at the Fifa U-20 World Cup in Argentina this year. He is now seeking professional trials.
Melville United’s women’s team Melville Premier Women are also receiving top honours, as they won the 2023 Waikato Bay of Plenty Federation’s W-League.
Melville United also have plans to further develop Gower Park as a Community Sports Hub, with the potential for a Community Centre between pitches 1 and 2, as well as spectator seating for up to 1000 people.
The Details
What: Chatham Cup semifinal Melville United vs Waterside Karori
