Members of North Wellington FC have farewelled two long-serving leaders, chairman David Rayner and president Grant Stephen.
Rayner (59) has stepped down after 12 years of service to the club while Stephen (60) leaves his role after 23 years with the club, of which 13 were as club president.
Acknowledging their contributions, the club said via their social media channel: “Both have given a huge amount of time and dedication to their respective tenures with the club.
“The club will never be able to thank them for all the work they have put in over the years; we wish them the best in footballing retirement and hope to see them at Alex Moore as supporters in the upcoming season.
“Grant leaves large shoes to fill as he retires from this role as club president. His contribution, advice and support have been truly valued and he has had a significant impact on many players and others associated with the club.”
Under his leadership, the club’s key achievements included:
- The merger of the junior and senior clubs.
- The development of this facility at Alex Moore Park.
- The sale of Phillip Street clubrooms and creation of a charitable trust as a fund to support local sporting activity over the long term.
- Having the top four teams in the club represented in the top four leagues for Capital Football.
- Creating the successful Talent Development Programme.
“David has steered us through modernising the club, litigation to sell the old clubrooms, becoming a foundation member of Alex Moore Park, refreshing the constitution, amalgamating with the junior club and formation of the NWAFC Trust,” the club said.
“When he first started, our top side was in Cap 1 and it was through his connections that Charlie Howe came on board as coach and our rise up the ranks to Prems and ultimately Central League for both men and women all came from there.
“Along the way, we worked together to bring in a director of football, secure funding lines to allow expansion and bring on what the club needed – a professional administrator.”
New leadership team
At their latest annual general meeting, held in December 2023, members appointed the club’s new leadership team.
Chairman — David Woodhall
President — Fraser Kirby
Secretary — Andrea Jetly
Treasurer — James Malden
Club manager — Rachel Woodhall
Assistant club manager — Hugo Barber-Dale
Executive committee: Rachel Finlay, Gareth Winder, Dave Wright, Ross McMillan, Michael Hinds, Karen Martin-Bond, Tiarne Southon.
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