Nobody wants to get pipped at the post, especially the Hauraki Plains Football Club senior men’s team, who have been lacing up their fundraising boots in order to round up $11,000 for new goal posts before the season begins.
The senior men’s team was formed late last year, with the first ever official senior men’s game set to kick off on home turf on April 6.
A monumental day in and of itself, the club will also celebrate its 40th anniversary, with a birthday bash planned including food and coffee carts, bouncy castles and more.
With a little more than $1000 left to raise, club president Matt Vendt told The Profile that Grassroots Trust had donated “a big chunk” of the funding. “Pretty much, we start getting into it [game season] on April the 6th, but of course you need some goal posts to start training with,” he said.
The goal posts are set to arrive by the end of February.
“So we’ve just got to get the last of the money,” he said.
Two trailer loads of firewood were donated by Splinta’s at the end of last year for the club to raffle off.
“We did the Ngatea Christmas Funday market, we set up a stall there and we sold a few tickets.”
Matt said he and his team aimed to sell them “as best we can”, taking turns selling raffles at their workplaces.
Support had come from people who didn’t have a fireplace but wanted to back the cause, and some even stated if their number was drawn, they would happily donate the wood back to the club to do another raffle, he said.
Previously known as the Hauraki Plains Junior Soccer Club, the addition of senior players had given the club a reason to secure a second room, with the team managing to score a couple free couches.
There was still a need for tables and chairs to host the opposition at home games, and even a wall for the club to put a kitchen in.
“We’ve got the gib for it, but we don’t have the four-by-two to actually build the framing,” he said.
A kids corner was something else the club would like to set up, with requests for bean bags, a DVD player and TV to make it more family friendly, he said.
February 10 is the club’s muster, and it’s hoped around 20 senior men and women will sign up to the club, which last year had about 70 junior club members.
“That’s the day to come down and sign up to play,” he said.
Any men or women who wish to play can head along to the event at the club football grounds at Hugh Hayward Domain from 4pm.
“Come down and support us, and see the first ever Hauraki Men’s [football] team play and also celebrating the fact that the club’s been around [for] 40 years this year.”
DETAILS: To purchase a raffle ticket and support the team, search for Hauraki Plains Football Club on Facebook or email hpjsoccer@gmail.com.
