Author: Richard Wright

After a COVID-19 enforced break of 7 long weeks (55 days), the ASFA was delighted to be able to offer 40 football teams the opportunity to play 90 minutes of football last weekend, with many teams finally getting the chance to play the week 2 fixture that was postponed back on Sunday 28th June due to wet weather (lightning nearly struck twice, with Auckland being hit by heavy rain showers only hours before these games were scheduled to kick-off)

15 league fixtures were played, resulting in 109 goals being scored. 9 of these fixtures were played at the home of Albany United FC (Rosedale Park 1, 2, 3 & 4).

5 fixtures featured 10 or more goals with the most (12) coming in the Master 1 game between Korean Tigers and West Auckland United (4-8).

The biggest win of the day award went to Albany Green Machine (for the second time this season) who celebrated finishing top of the Championship by beating FC Khukuri 10-1.

There were two clean sheets to celebrate, with Zamantix Force failing to score against Zamantix Rovers Return (who scored 7) and Waiheke Old Fullas unable to beat the Greenhithe City keeper in their 4-0 loss.

My match of the day is the 5-5 thriller played out between Gurkha and Kamarak in League 1.

3 teams were awarded the 3 points as a result of their opponents being unable or unprepared to field a team and 2 teams agree to settle for a draw and share 1 point each.

1 friendly fixture was organised (also at Rosedale Park), in which another 8 goals were scored. AUT FC 1 (Championship) scored 6 of them against Ellerslie Tropics (League 2).

Congratulations to everyone who participated in an ASFA fixture this year, regardless of how many fixtures you played, won or how many goals you scored/prevented. The six teams that finished top of their leagues will be crowned the 2020 champions at Finals Day on October 11th, but there will be no promotion or relegation.

The 6 teams to finish top of their leagues are: AFC Bohemian Celtics 1 (Premiership), Albany Green Machine (Championship), Zamantix Rovers Return (League 1), Exit Trials (League 2), West Auckland United (Masters 1) and Saigon United (Master 2). Of these 6 teams, 3 went undefeated (AGM, West AKL Utd and Saigon Utd) and 2 had a 100% win record (AGM & West AKL United). CHAMPIONS!

All our attention now shifts to the conclusion of our Cup and Plate competitions with 22 teams featuring in next weekend’s Semi-Final Sunday. 11 fixtures will be played on six fields, four of which will be at Rosedale Park (home of Albany United FC).

1 team (Ellerslie Tropics) will no doubt be looking for another friendly fixture, having being awarded free pass to the ASFA Finals Day on October 11 (their opponents are unable to field a team). Maybe a rematch against AUT FC?

We’re delighted to be able to schedule a full round of league fixtures this week, but – being in Alert Level 2 – there are some additional terms and conditions that EVERYONE MUST FOLLOW!

the fixtures have been posted onto our facebook page and all team managers have been contacted.

Gatherings must be restricted to a maximum of 100 people for both indoor and outdoor facilities. A gathering includes players, officials, support staff and spectators. A contact tracing system must be in place to record and retain the contact details of all people involved in, or attending, your activity. This information should be accessible at all times for contact tracing purposes up to 4 weeks after the contact was recorded.

Make sure you use the Tracer App at the ground you are playing at, if there is no QR Code, the following are the 5 digit codes for the grounds we are using this weekend:

Croatian Cultural Club : LGKFL

Greville Reserve : PGIEL

Michaels Ave : EDJBW

North Harbour Stadium : OVHPP

Rosedale Park : RMMUS

Seddon Fields : MGUBI

Please stay home if you’re sick! Please wash and dry your hands for at least 20 seconds, or use hand sanitiser, before and after activities. Please remember to cough into your elbow and avoid touching your face.

Physical distancing of 2 metres should be maintained wherever possible, especially from people that you don’t know. It is recognised that contact during physical activity will occur but this should be minimised as much as possible, especially off the field of play.

It is recommended to wear a face-covering when in public where possible. (substitutes and supporters should wear one – when in the vicinity of play)

People at high risk of severe illness from COVID-19 should take additional precautions when undertaking physical activity, particularly older people and those with existing medical conditions.

Any team not wishing to play this weekend should have informed Morgan (divrep@asfa.co.nz).

The ASFA is actively exploring all the different avenues available to ensure that our already shortened 2020 season is able to continue as soon as possible and it is our intention to try and schedule as many league fixtures as possible into the time period available to us once the government’s restrictions on community sport have been removed.

We are equally keen and committed to try and ensure that there is an ASFA Finals Day for us all to enjoy sometime in October, featuring games involving the winners of the twelve semi-finals currently scheduled to take place in September.

We thank those who have offered to play some fixtures on a Saturday or under floodlights during the week but also appreciate and accept that this is not a feasible option for some of our teams.

Updates will be posted on this site and on our Facebook page. Until then, stay safe, stay healthy, stay strong!

Kia Kaha

Further to the Prime Minister’s announcement that Auckland will continue at a Level 3 Alert until 11:59 pm 26/08/2020 all ASFA football will be postponed until 30th August 2020.

Team training is also not permitted at Alert Level 3

This date is scheduled to be a Cup Round but it is likely the cup will be deferred for a short period to permit teams to continue with their league season.

Further information will be posted as it becomes available.

Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact any of the Executive

Games = 18

Home wins = 11 Away wins = 4, Draws = 3

Goals Scored/Conceded = 114

Most goals in a game = 12 (Fire Kirin vs Serious)

Games with ten or more goals scored = 4

Clean sheets = 2 (Western Wanderers & Kamarak)

Biggest win/worse loss = Inter vs Zamantix (9-1, Premiership) & Fire Kirin vs Serious (10-2, Masters 2)

MOTD = Korean Tigers vs Zamantix Rovers Old Boys (4-4, Masters 1)

Headlines = Inter score nine & go top of the Premiership!, Champions HNK finally pick up their first point of the season, UOAFC win the battle of the Universities, West Auckland United make it 4 from 4 in Masters 1 with a 7-1 win.

17 games played on Sunday 19th July, 2020, including the inaugural ASFA Society Plate charity fixture.

A total of 88 goals scored/conceded, 40 goals scored by those playing at home (48 goals scored by those playing away). 4 clean sheets and only one games in which there were more than ten goals scored (AKFC vs EZ Eagles)

All three Premiership fixtures were won by the away teams, with the host scoring 3 times and the guests scoring 14 times. 2019 Champions HNK were beaten 6-0 by 2019 Runners-up AFC Bohemian Celtics, while Inter came out on top of their local derby fixture against Indy with a 3-2 away win.

All Championship fixtures were won by the home teams with the hosts scoring 13 times and the guests only scoring 3 times. Albany Green Machine scored six of those against AUT FC, whilst Western Wanderers scored five against FC Khukuri.

All three Masters 1 fixtures were won by the away team, each of whom scored 3 goals.

The Match of the day was played out on Rosedale Park 2, between Old Fellas and West Auckland United. Congratulations to everyone associated with West Auckland United, the winners of the first-ever ASFA Society Plate fixture. They won the silverware following a hard-earned 3-1 away win over Old Fellas, the 2019 Master league 1 winners. The visitors were 2-0 up at half time, having been made to play into a strong wind by their hosts. They added a third directly from a corner midway through the second half, whilst Old Fellas scored a consolation goal in injury time, having had another goal (harshly) ruled out for a foul on the West Auckland goalkeeper only moments earlier. West Auckland’s chosen charity was Starship Hospital and they were quick to dedicate the win to their former Secretary Elvin Rams, who is recovering from three weeks spent in a coma. Get well soon Elvin!

18 games, 98 Goals scored (98 conceded!)

8 home wins, 7 away wins, 3 draws.

3 clean sheets – Exit Trials, EZ Eagles & U-Striker.

Most goals in a game = 11 (Gurkha 7 vs Zamantix Force 4)

Match of the day = Waiheke Old Fellas vs Korean Tigers (3-4)

Special mention = Albany Green Machine for accepting their place within the Championship and starting their campaign with a 5-2 away win over AFC Bohemian Celtic 2.

All games were postponed following the closure of all grounds.

I know that this came as a major disappointment to many of our players, but the decision was made by those who want to ensure that we have football fields fit to play on in July, August and September.

Whilst Auckland needs several weeks of intense rain to help fill up those dams, let’s hope that things brighten up in time for us to play games this weekend.

Week three’s fixtures will be added this evening!