Team Gisborne all go

FOOTBALL

FORMER Tauranga City national league defender Brett Derry will coach newly-formed Team Gisborne in next year’s Pacific Premiership.
“It’s great news for the district — a composite team led by a coach who has experience of playing at the highest level clubwise,” said Sport Gisborne Tairawhiti sports operations manager and former All Whites striker Thomas Edge, one of six members of the Team Gisborne committee.
“I think the last composite team was in 1999, when Marty Ryan and Iain Gillies were the coaches, and now it’s finally happening again.”
Edge said Team Gisborne had been accepted into the 2012 Pacific Premiership — a Central Football-run league involving teams from Hawke’s Bay and Gisborne.
The majority of the Team Gisborne squad will come from the three Gisborne clubs who competed in the 2011 Pacific Premiership — the Bohemians, Lytton High and Thistle.
“But we want to make it clear that one of the mandates for Team Gisborne will be to provide pathways for the district’s young players,” said Edge. “This concept is not about elite players playing in the Pacific Premiership.
“We will have a core of senior players but we want to give the young players something to aspire to, whether it be eventually playing for Hawke’s Bay United, Waitakere (Edge’s old club), Team Wellington or any other team in the national league.
“While we never say never, I can’t see us having a national league team here but we can help the young players coming through. I have already had talks with officials from Hawke’s Bay United and Waitakere and Manawatu coach Stu Jacobs in regard to sending players their way if and when we have players capable of stepping up.
“I also know that there are coaches here from American universities scouting for players. That’s another incentive for our young players.”
Edge, who played over 250 national league games for Waitakere and made seven appearances for the All Whites, said the support from Bohemians, Lytton and Thistle was encouraging.
In the past, Eastern League and school teams felt they were losing their best players purely in the interest of a team playing in the Central or national leagues.
“That’s definitely not the case with Team Gisborne,” said Edge. “We will be meeting with local clubs and whoever is in charge of the school teams to explain the process, and hopefully we can work together.
“Hopefully if one or two or more of the young players can step up it will inspire others to follow suit,” Edge said.
“We want to assure these other clubs and teams that it won’t be a matter of them losing players completely.
“We will need a good mixed squad, but those not in Team Gisborne will be able to go back and play for their clubs or schools in the local competition.
“As in other sports, we need more numbers playing the game after a certain age — about the time they leave school — and while the aim will always be to win whatever competition Team Gisborne are playing in, it is also about building the local clubs.
“The stronger they are, the stronger the local competition is and the stronger Team Gisborne will be.”
Edge said one of the most encouraging aspects of forming Team Gisborne was that the 20 people approached to help out all said yes.
“We have a wealth of football experience and knowledge in this district — some of whom have played at the very highest level — and we are keen to involve as many of them who want to contribute.
“Without the support from Sport Gisborne Tairawhiti, I would not have had the opportunity of helping make this work.”
The other members of the Team Gisborne committee are Derry, Leighton Evans, David Ure, who will also play, former national league player Bruce Hill and Jason Phillips.
Derry, who moved to Gisborne from Tauranga six years ago is excited about the challenge.
“Playing for Campion this year made me realise that we have to do something for the kids coming through,” Derry said.
“Gisborne is isolated and there’s no incentive for the young players to carry on with their football. Now that there is an opportunity for them to advance their football, Thomas, Bruce and I all have contacts outside the district to help those who want to play at a higher level or go to university.
“As Thomas said, we have a lot of players here with a fantastic knowledge of the game.
“It’s also about taking the game here to the next level — building a culture around Team Gisborne where players want to play for us and have pride in the jersey.
“When I played for Tauranga it took us about three years to build that culture. We became good mates on and off the field and while we never won the national league, we had a good team spirit and reached the Chatham Cup final.
“The Team Gisborne committee has come up with a list of 25 players who could form the basis of a strong team.
“There may be others which is why I will be having a get-together early in January, maybe just a kick-around for anyone who wants to come along.
“There will be more on that betwenn now and January. The important thing is Team Gisborne is official.”