University-Mount Wellington
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University-Mount Wellington. Association Football Club Emblem | |||
| Full name | University-Mount Wellington Association Football Club | ||
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| Nickname(s) | Unimount | ||
| Ground | Bill McKinlay Park, Panmure, Auckland, New Zealand | ||
| Capacity | 5,000[1] | ||
| Chairman | John Blair (2016) | ||
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University-Mount Wellington is an association football club in Auckland, New Zealand. It was formed from the amalgamation of University AFC and Mount Wellington AFC, and was one of the country's strongest sides. The team play at Bill McKinlay Park, Panmure, Auckland.
Club history
During much of the 1970s and 1980s, Mt Wellington AFC was the country's strongest club side, rivaled only by Christchurch United. The team won the Chatham Cup on five occasions, in 1973, 1980, 1982, 1983, and 1990. Since amalgamation, the cup has been won a further two times, in 2001 and 2003, making the club the only seven-time winner of the country's main knockout tournament. They also won the country's national league in 1972, 1974, 1980, 1982, and 1986.
Auckland University did not win any national titles as a separate team, but competed in the top flight of the national league from 1983 to 1986.
Present day
In recent years, the club's focus has been on its status as a convenor of social and university teams, rather than concentrating on a senior club side.
Bill McKinlay Park is the headquarters of the club and each of its teams play some of their matches on its single pitch. The club has an excellent new artificial pitch which can schedule up to five matches in one day, whatever the weather.
Players
Many of the country's top players have played for either University-Mount Wellington or its predecessor teams, including several members of New Zealand's first World Cup Finals qualifiers, the 1982 All Whites. These players include Ricki Herbert, Brian Turner, Tony Sibley, Dave Taylor, Darren McClennan, Peter Henry, Jeff Campbell, Rodger Gray, John Houghton, Leigh Kenyon, Michael RIdenton and Fred de Jong,Earle Thomas