Claudelands Rovers Juniors

Cracking first day with a full house at Galloway Park! Awesome to see our 285 junior Rovers out there with big smiles on there faces making new friends!

Field Layout for 2026

Check out the rules for your grade at the below

WaiBOP Football This is the official website for Waikato, Bay of Plenty Football Federation. The governing body for football in the Waikato & Bay of Plenty regions.

Term 2 Elite skills program , designed to support and develop players teamwork and individual skills as they step into their teams for 2026.
Registration link in comments below.

Draws are out for first 4 weeks of Junior Football. Check out your grade in the link below

https://www.sporty.co.nz/waibopfootball/waikato-juniors

WaiBOP Football This is the official website for Waikato, Bay of Plenty Football Federation. The governing body for football in the Waikato & Bay of Plenty regions.

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/1cAbmDhrF7/

First Kicks is 3v3 this year! (First Kicks is for our youngest players, 5th, 6th and 7th Grade, age 7 and under).

3v3 means more touches of the ball, more time playing and more opportunity to try individual skills.

But how does it work?

Some of our clubs run First Kicks "in house”, where kids don’t have a “team” for the season. They come along for First Kicks, where they do some skill activities, and are then put into teams for games. Their ‘team' will be different each week.

Some clubs, especially in Hamilton, do need to form teams, as First Kicks is held at central hubs with multiple clubs.

Here what happens is that teams will usually have 8 players. No, we’re not suggesting that you have 5 subs!

First Kicks sessions always start with skill activities (often where every child has a ball) followed by games.

Each team of 8 will do skill activities, then split into two teams for games. One of the 2 teams will wear bibs. One team stay on the pitch (non-bib players), and the other team rotate (players with bibs). They’ll play 3 games against other teams in the “pod”.

Having 8 in a team allows for one or two players to be away & we suggest that if all players are there, then play with 1 sub. If a lot of players are away, this might mean some games are 3v2. Don’t be afraid to borrow players from the other team to even up numbers.

Each team will have a parent/coach who will lead the skill activities (these are found in the free NZF App Coachmate) - when the team splits into two, another parent will be needed to help direct the play.

Does this mean 4 year olds are playing 7 year olds?
No. First Kicks is separated out into two groups - 5th/6th and 6th/7th grade. The 6th grade players will be allocated where they are best suited - players brand new to the game might be best with the 5th grade, while those that have played for a year already might be with the 7th graders.

Want to know more? Want to learn more about how to run a First Kicks session, or be a parent help?

Come along to a Free Intro to First Kicks course!

Goal keeper training is back at Galloway park in Term 2

We’re back for Term 2!

7-week goalkeeper programme for boys and girls aged 8–16. ​​​​​​​

Hamilton (Galloway Park) Monday (Starts 4th May) - Coach Max Tommy
Rotorua (Ray Boord Park) Monday (Starts 4th May) - Coach Andrew Gibbs
Tauranga (Gordon Spratt Reserve) Tuesday (Starts 5th May) - Coach Richard Gillespie
Whakatane (Trident High School) Tuesday (Starts 5th May) - Coach Jon Stanhope

COST: $105

🧤 U9 & U10: 5pm – 5:50pm
🧤 U11 - U13: 6pm – 6:50pm
🧤 U14 - U16: 7pm – 8pm

We'll be under floodlights for these sessions.

Please Note: There will be no sessions the week of Kings Birthday 1st of June - 5th of June. Sessions will resume the following week on the 8th of June.

https://www.waibopfootball.co.nz/goalkeeper-programme

Girls wanted, aged 8-11!!!

We have entered 4 girls teams, but there is still 5 spaces available to fill the squads if you know someone.

If you are new to shopping for Football gear, e.g are looking for football boots, kits or accessories, these guys are Hamiltons dedicated Football shop and an alternative to the likes of Rebel. Note, we aren’t sponsored by these guys, just a share of an option that some may not know about.

Soccer United Football Supplies | New Zealand's Biggest Football Store Shop the best in football gear at Soccer United, based in Hamilton, New Zealand. From football boots and training equipment to supporters' gear and futsal shoes, we have everything you need. Visit us online at www.soccerunited.co.nz for top brands and expert advice!

Registrations have now closed for the 2026 winter season. Late entries accepted depending on any remaining team spaces. Email [email protected] to enquire

Just a reminder the muster is planned for this Sunday for those who want to check in on rule changes, what we are doing in 2026 and have a kick around with some new friends!

Preparations are underway for the 2026 Football season. First game Saturday 2nd May.

Junior Registrations open on or before 1st March, close on 29th March.

Optional muster for both new and returning players on Sunday 15th March