Tauranga City and Papamoa FC have launched a partnership to provide a new entity to deliver development programmes for players aged between U-9 and U-17.
Known as FC Tauranga Moana, the shared entity will also provide other Bay of Plenty clubs with the opportunity for their members to access the services it will offer.
FCTM’s primary focus will be to operate all Skills Centre (SKC) and Talent Development Programmes (TDP) for Tauranga City and Papamoa, including:
- A SKC programme for U-9 — U-12 footballers, from which WaiBOP Federation Junior (U-12 regional) teams will operate; and
- A TDP programme for U-13 — U-17 footballers, from which teams that compete in WaiBOP Federation Y-League and Northern Regional Federation League Youth competitions will operate.
‘It was decided a new shared entity would be preferable to a merger’
In their announcement, the Tauranga and Papamoa clubs say:
“BOP clubs have been discussing collaboration for a few years now, with a view to sharing resources and increasing options available to members.
“With the support of WaiBOP, NRF, NZF and SportBOP, a working group was formed to look at various options in more detail this year.
“With the retention of club identities and histories identified as important, it was decided early that a new shared entity would be preferable to a merger.”
At present, Tauranga City is the only BOP club to hold TDP accreditation, and the creation of the new entity will help future accreditations.
In particular, the TDP is designed to help player development and produce better footballers by:
- Increasing the quality of training opportunities.
- Providing clear guidelines based on international best practice.
- Creating an aspirational pathway for youth footballers.
- Delivering access to higher-level football opportunities, such as automatic entry into Nationwide leading competitions, such as the Northern Regional Football (NRF) & the new National Youth Leagues; and more.
The new entity
The working group chose the name FC Tauranga Moana to reflect the rich history of our region and speak clearly to the joint identity of The Clubs. Work is ongoing to engage with local Iwi to develop branding and design material that will tell our story and highlight connections across Tauranga Moana.
FC Tauranga Moana will take over the management of football development for TCAFC and PFC from January 1, 2023.
For U-9 — U-17 players, the name of the club managing the programme will change, but players will see ‘familiar faces’, the statement says.
“With FC Tauranga Moana focusing on football development programmes for Junior & Youth players and coaches, TCAFC and PFC can continue focusing on delivering quality football experiences for other Junior, Youth and Senior members.
“The collaboration will also provide other opportunities for the sharing of resources to support members.”
READ MORE: Full statement here >>>>
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