A BRIEF HISTORY OF OUR CLUB
Over the last sixty years various teams from Northland have competed in the Northern Regional Football League (now the Lotto NRFL), with Whangarei City most notably challenging at the higher end of the competition in the 1980s and early 1990s. Since 2004, our club has played in the Lotto NRFL as the sole representative from the region, and since 2018 has had a full youth program competing in regional youth competitions.
2003-2016: THE NORTH FORCE YEARS
2003
Founding
2004
Off To A Flyer
2006
Women Repeat The Feat
Unification
2007-2012
Stabilisation & Growth
2013-2016
Decline & Reformation
North Force AFC is incorporated by Tikipunga AFC and Kamo Swifts with a view to competing at the highest levels possible in the game.
The newly formed side wins the Lotto NRFL Division Two at the first attempt coached by Paul Cross. A Men's reserve team is formed for 2005
Adam Hayne leads the first North Force Women's team to victory in the United Soccer 1 (US1) JVC League, earning promotion to the NRFL Premier. Off the field first steps are taken toward unifying the region's various clubs with the following affiliating to North Force:
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Central Brown AFC, FC Whangarei, Horahora FC, Kerikeri FC, Madhatters FC, Marist Soccer and Paihia AFC
The Women's squad enjoyed a sole season in the NRFL Premier before maintaining their position in the US1 JVC leagues, playing a role in the development of future Football Ferns Hannah Wilkinson and Katie Rood.
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The Men's squad maintained their position in NRFL Division One and the club began to enter youth teams into AFF/NFF Metro leagues. In the region, the newly formed Northern Football Federation (NFF), assisted in the administration of running the youth program under Dave Alabaster from 2011.
The youth program continued to grow and the Women's squad remained stable in second tier competitions, winning the AFF/NFF Conference, the Fed One Cup and promotion to the NRFL Premier, but the Men suffered two catastrophic seasons in 2013 which saw them relegated, and in 2016 which saw them relegated from the NRFL for the first time in the club's history.
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At around the same time North Force changed it's model completely submitting a new constitution as Northland Football Club (Northland FC). Kamo decided to leave but later rejoined as associate members, and the club became owned by:
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Bream Bay United, Central Brown AFC, FC Whangarei, Kerikeri FC, Madhatters FC and Tikipunga AFC
2016-TODAY: NORTHLAND FOOTBALL CLUB
Covid Disruptions and
Community Impact
2017
Resurgence
2018
Expansion and Alignment
2019
Overseas Expertise and Success On The Pitch
2020-2021
2022
Accreditation and
Girls & Women Rebuild
The men are handed a lifeline as Ngaruawahia FC fold, winning a playoff against Lynn Avon and regaining a place in the Lotto NRFL. Coached by Dan Johnston and led by Steve Schimmel, they finish third in the league, while the women are heartbreakingly relegated from the NRFL Premier on the last day of the season.
The Northland FC Youth Program is acquired from the NFF and is run by the club for the first time, with 5 youth boys and girls teams fielded in AFF/NFF Metro competitions. The aim of the club is to achieve an accreditation from New Zealand Football to deliver quality programs in the Northland region.
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Onerahi FC and Marist Football Whangarei join the club as members taking the total clubs involved to eight.
Ben Whatmore, Jamie Smith, Mark Prowse and Jai Campbell arrive from England as coaches for Northland FC in a step change for the club.
While the Men survive relegation from the Lotto NRFL on the last day, the Reserves win their league and the Women walk away with the Fed One Cup for the second time in three years. At youth level, our 14th Grade Boys win the AFF/NFF Conference.
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Director of Football Michal Walesiak joins the club and Jamie Smith stays to form the nucleus of our coaching team. Football is severely limited due to the pandemic but it allows the club time to implement key plans around junior football (the Skills Centre) and facilities (moving to Trigg Sports Arena).
By the end of the Covid disruption which saw 18 weeks of football played out of 44, Northland FC has been transformed into the club people see today.
With a TDP accreditation for a Mixed program and qualified staff in every position, Liam Martin arrives from Papakura City to develop girls and women's football in the region - timely as the club does not field a women's team for the first time since 2006.
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Our youth teams held their own admirably in some of the country's top competitions, with the 13th Grade Girls winning the Northern Region Football (NRF) Championship and our 19th Grade Boys making it all the way to the Satellite final in Napier at the National U19 Tournament, qualifying for the 2023 Main Draw in the process.
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At the time of writing the club has 40 senior players, 120 youth players, 150 players in the Skills Centre, works with five high school 1st XI's and has plans to incorporate football in primary/intermediate schools alongside delivering community coach education to impact the game in Northland from the discovery phase up.
THE FUTURE
"The future is unwritten."
Joe Strummer, The Clash