New goals ‘a real score’ for Waihi AFC Juniors

One of New Zealand’s newest junior football clubs has been given a leg up thanks to Junior Football Packagoals from Kiwi company Packaworld International.

The high quality 2x1 metre inflatable goals arrived with the Waihi AFC Juniors earlier this month and played a starring role on Sunday (25 July) during a special training session with 2016 McDonald’s Junior Coach of the Year Nic Millichip.

More than 50 young footballers and parents attended Sunday’s session, which was arranged by Waihi AFC Juniors programme organisers Richard James and Rudy Sas to give local children the chance to learn from one of the country’s top coaches.

“Before we started, there were a lot of kids who had to go a long way to get a decent game or just didn’t have the opportunity to play on a regular basis,” Mr James said.

“With a little coaching, we’re already seeing a massive improvement in skills, and kids are coming back week after week.”

Mr James said the donation of the Packagoals and the special guest visit from Katikati-based Millichip were helping local children develop a passion for football. Waihi AFC has one of the smallest clubrooms in the country, and Mr James said the portability and storability of the inflatable goals was ideal.

“The goals are a real score for our club. They go up in 20 seconds, go down just as quickly and can be packed away into a small carry bag for storage. That’s really important for us because we have such limited space, and the kids love them too.”

The safety aspect of the goals is also a bonus when offering the sport to young children, he said.

The Waihi AFC Juniors football programme is for boys and girls from the ages of 4-12. The programme runs every Sunday at Morgan Park, with a typical morning involving skills drills and football games, followed by a sausage sizzle.

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