| 103 COMMUNITY Tikipunga Football Club: Canam www.scopeprojectsnz.com Proud to support Tikipunga Football Club and the wider footballing community with the Northland Football Hub. • Commercial • Residential • Industrial • Maintenance • Sheet Metal Fabrication GAS WORKS & PLUMBING LIMITED SUPPLY, INSTALL & SERVICE SPECIALISING IN ALL WATER HEATING & HOME HEATING SOLUTIONS www.gasworksandplumbing.co.nz WHANGAREI 0800 400 192 28 Porowini Ave, Morningside, Whangarei 0110 BAY of ISLANDS OFFICE 1229 Bulls Road, KERIKERI 0508 766 3464 admin@relianceroofing.co.nz T T Kelly Deeks A boost for sport and community The venue is already being used well beyond match days, hosting community groups, first aid courses, meetings, and training sessions. Tikipunga Football Club’s newly completed Northland Football Hub has laid the foundation for the next stage of football in Whangārei, with a landmark artificial turf project set to build on the investment and further expand year-round playing opportunities for the region. Delivered by construction company, Canam, with Scope Projects managing the build, and support from local subcontractors like GasWorks and Plumbing and Reliance Roofing, the new hub has transformed the club into a modern sporting and community facility designed to benefit players, coaches, officials, and local residents alike. Club manager Don McDonald-Spice says the project represents more than 10 years of planning and collaboration. “This has been a long-term vision, and it is exciting to finally see it become a reality. The hub gives us facilities that support football across Northland, while creating a welcoming place for the wider community.” Completed last year and progressively fitted out with storage, equipment, and technology, the facility features upgraded clubrooms, six new changing rooms, meeting and conference spaces, offices, extensive storage, and a large covered deck overlooking the playing fields. The venue is already being used well beyond match days, hosting community groups, first aid courses, meetings, and training sessions. “It is becoming a wonderful meeting space,” Don says. “We have community groups here every fortnight, and organisations regularly hire the venue for courses and events. ”It is a facility that is being used by far more than sports.” The hub also provides coaches with modern technology, including an interactive smart board that allows teams to review training sessions, analyse tactics, and prepare for upcoming matches. The official opening brought together Tikipunga Football Club, Northland Football Club, Northern Region Football, project partners, sponsors, volunteers, and the wider community to celebrate the completion of a project first envisioned in 2012. Attention is now turning to the club’s next major development, with construction of an artificial turf set to begin in October. The all-weather surface will be the first of its kind for football in Whangārei, and is expected to significantly increase field capacity by allowing games and training to continue, regardless of weather conditions. “We will be able to play rain, hail, or shine,” Don says. The new surface will include a full-sized senior pitch with two junior fields overlaid, creating flexibility for players of all ages, while easing pressure on existing grass grounds. It will also support new initiatives, such as walking football, giving older residents another opportunity to remain active and socially connected. Don says the investment reflects the club’s commitment to creating an environment where people feel welcome both on and off the field. “We have the largest number of teams in Whangārei because we work hard to look after people and make them want to be part of the club. We are a very friendly, family-orientated club.” With the Northland Football Hub now complete, and work on the artificial turf set to begin, Tikipunga Football Club is creating a lasting sporting legacy that will strengthen participation, improve player development, and provide modern facilities for the wider Northland community for years to come.
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