Hi Everyone.

Today New Zealand Football announced that all eight franchises will compete this season in a reduced competition of 14 rounds and an extended play off series. The contest will take place between November 9^th and April 4^th.

Many of you will no doubt be aware of the challenges that have faced the organisation in the last week and prospect that a team would not be fielded by the region was realistic.

 However due to overwhelming support from the region, sponsors, and the football community as a whole I can state with the utmost confidence that we will not only be in the competition but we have every intention of fighting to win and put “pride in the jersey”.

 A number of the region’s top players, administrators and supporters have volunteered their time and we are working to secure sponsorship to ensure we have every chance of success. Many changes will come to light in the next week regarding our players, staff and infrastructure 

 We have 400 kids signed up to come to matches and we intend to put on a heck of a show for them. The first home game is scheduled for late November so a lot needs to be done with tickets, merchandising, training and atmosphere before that but  I will be issuing a challenge to the clubs to get an audience of 700 supporters to that match.

As always I am open to hearing your ideas about how we can make the future a successful one for every body involved.

James Raffan

James@waikatofc.co.nz

The Waikato FC website is being redesigned for the 08/09 season.

Relaunch: In two weeks

Cut Price Entry is a saviour (Coutesy of the Waikato Times Saturday 18th October)

Ian Anderson

The cut-price Waikato FC entry into this season's New Zealand Football Championship was necessary to save the future of soccer in the region, according to club chairman Keith Ward.

A week after it appeared certain the franchise would have to pull out of the league due to a $90,000 funding shortfall, Waikato were yesterday confirmed in an eight-team competition of two rounds instead of the scheduled three.

Ward said the club were told by New Zealand Football that if they didn't enter a team their franchise licence would be terminated.

"We would have had to re-apply for a licence with no guarantee of getting one," Ward said.

"That would raise the strong possibility that we would lose national league soccer again in the Waikato, so we had to make sure that didn't happen."

The shortened league season will help Waikato save $31,000.

Ward said Waikato's budget "still has a couple of areas of low-level risk" with the organisation looking for funding trust grants during the season.

"But the risks for those are the same as they were in past seasons. We're optimistic we'll get that funding and, if we get turned down and have to find twenty or thirty thousand it is something we can do."

Ward said the club's ambition for the season was "to be competitive".

"I think we can compete with all the sides excluding the top two or three," he said.

"Fourth place and a spot in the playoffs is realistic I think - we did it in our first season when no one thought we would. We'll be the underdog again and we don't mind that."

Waikato are aiming to play their home matches at Ngaruawahia's Centennial Park and Ward said he expected New Zealand Football approval for that once "a couple of conditions are fulfilled".