Cambridge FC
 | ||
| Full name | Cambridge Football Club | |
|---|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Reds | |
| Founded | 1948 | |
| Ground | John Kerkhof Park, Cambridge | |
| Capacity | 1,200 | |
| Chairman |
 Greg Zeuren | |
| Manager |
 Shane Ridgway | |
| Coach |
Norm Rose | |
| League | Waikato Bay Of Plenty Football Federation Division One | |
| 2013 | 5th | |
| ||
Cambridge F.C. is a semi-professional football (soccer) club in Cambridge, New Zealand. They compete in the Waikato Bay Of Plenty Football Federation Division One.
Cambridge has nine senior men's teams and three women's teams competing in the Bay of Plenty and Waikato regions. Men's teams play in the Waikato/Bay of Plenty Federation Divisions One and Two, the Waikato A, B, C, D and E divisions and a Sunday league team known as the Red Devils. The women's teams play in the Waikato A, B and C divisions. The club also fields boys' and girls' youth teams and has about 400 junior team players (under 16).
Club history
The club was founded in 1948 and has played at John Kerkhof Park, Cambridge, New Zealand, since 1967. The teams play in red and white, a legacy of the club's first president Vic Butler's support of Arsenal F.C..
The club played for many seasons in the Lotto Sport Italia Northern League but was relegated from the Lotto Sport Italia NRFL Division 2 in 2011 after finishing 12th and losing the challenger series playoff vs Manukau City AFC. The club won the New Zealand Match Programme of the Year Award for 2011.
The club elected to drop two divisions into the Waikato Bay of Plenty Football Federation Division Two to rebuild under coach Karl Dagnall and won promotion in 2012 to Waikato Bay of Plenty Football Federation Division One.
In 2013, the club finished 5th in the Waikato Bay of Plenty Football Federation Division One but was the highest-placed club from the province of Waikato.
In October 2013, coach Karl Dagnall stepped down and the club appointed a Director of Football, Ray Pooley, a coach with national league and northern league experience, to oversee the coaching of the club's senior and youth teams. Coach Norm Rose was appointed first team men's coach after holding coaching and team management roles with Te Awamutu F.C, Waikato F.C, Ngaruawahia United F.C and WaiBOP United. Team manager Shane Ridgway joined the club from Ngaruawahia United F.C and for the summer football season is the team manager for WaiBOP United in New Zealand's ASB Premiership.
In 2013, the club won the Soccer Shop Waikato Plate and hosted premium events such as the Soccer Shop Waikato Cup Final, the Waikato v Bay of Plenty All Stars game, and the WaiBOP Women's All Stars v WaiBOP National League side.
In 2013, the club was appointed as the home ground for five ASB Premiership matches for new franchise WaiBOP United. This meant Cambridge became one of six bases for national league football in New Zealand (the others are Auckland, Napier, Wellington, Christchurch and Dunedin). The appointment led to the club becoming an all-year operation, with investment in better facilities including upgraded playing surfaces, new changing rooms (scheduled for mid-2014) and a new irrigation system.
Probably the club's best known past player is New Zealand international striker Chris Wood who joined English Championship club Leicester City in January 2012 from West Bromwich Albion.
Captain of the club's senior women's team is former New Zealand international Maria Anderton.
Every February since 2011, the club has staged the Cambridge Sevens which are one-day tournaments for men's and women's teams drawn from the upper North Island of New Zealand.