Welcome!

Welcome to the latest update from Christchurch Football Club, keeping you connected with everything happening in and around the club.

Premier Men’s Match Report

28 June 2025 at Edgar MacIntosh Park

CFC vs Marist Albion

Lost 21-86

Player of the Match: Jake Tither

The last game of the round, and as always, Edgar MacIntosh was heavy underfoot. CFC came in with nothing to lose, while Marist Albion had plenty on the line. An upset win would have seen the DCL Shield move to CFC for the summer and Marist drop from the top of the table.

As the score shows, Marist Albion had nothing to worry about. They confidently dominated the match from start to finish. Hats off to them—they’re a strong side and deserved winners of the DCL Shield for the season, finishing Round 1 at the top of the table.

Player of the Day: Jake Tither

The Premiers finished 11th overall, which is below the goal set at the beginning of the season. Round two starts now, and it’s essentially playoff time. This week sees us in the bottom 4 qualifiers, up against Sumner at Sumner. They gave us a wake-up call last time out, so nothing would be better than calming the waves in Sumner on Saturday. Winner goes through to the Plate semi-final. Loser plays for the Spoon.

Written by Tony Hussey.
 

Choppers Match Report

28 June 2025 at Christchurch Park

CFC vs Shirley

Lost 0-56

Player of the Match: Cooper Haines

I’ll keep this brief, as Saturday definitely didn’t turn out how we had hoped — nowhere near as eventful as some of the other games...

Due to the disastrous weather up in Tasman, where a lot of our players are from and were visiting family, they ended up getting stranded — leaving us screaming out for players. After some begging, borrowing, and stealing, we managed to get a team of 12 on the field for a bit of Game On footy.

We played shorter halves but were never going to put any pressure on Belfast, who had a full team — plus some, I think. So, we did our thing, got dirty, and had a beer afterwards.

Massive credit to the few who chose to take the field — they showed great testicular fortitude to get out there and have a run. Well done, boys!

We now focus on our finals series, where we’re aiming to bring home the plate!

Up up the Choppers

Written by Richard Spivey (Spitty).

Colts Premier Match Report

28 June 2025 at Tane Norton Park

CFC vs Linwood

Lost 24-47

Players of the Match: Rewa Simmons

The game kicked off with both teams showing strong intent to play expansive rugby, moving the ball well and running hard. Despite multiple entries into the Linwood 22 being relieved by their effective lineout, we eventually broke the deadlock thanks to some slick hands from Xavier Doocey to Ross Buchanan, who hit a superb line to slice through the defence and offloaded to a powerful Will Lemon. Will made no mistake, crossing the line for the opening try.

Linwood responded quickly, striking back off a lineout after several phases of strong defence from our side had held them out close to the line.

Unlike earlier games this season, the team lifted. After sustained pressure inside Linwood’s 22, we shifted the ball wide from a lineout near halfway. Rewa broke through the line, drawing in multiple defenders before putting Seth Hignett into space. Seth finished the move untouched under the posts—an excellent team try.

Heading into halftime, we forced a crucial turnover, only to lose possession deep in our own 22. Linwood capitalised, sending their big forwards into our defensive line. After several strong defensive stands, they eventually broke through to take a narrow lead into the break.

Linwood came out firing in the second half, finding success down our right edge and scoring some relatively easy tries. With a growing lead, their big forwards began to tire, opening up the game and giving us chances to play with more freedom. We fought back bravely, moving the ball well and creating attacking opportunities, but ultimately fell short 47–24.

Despite the loss, the performance showed real fight and encouraging signs as we head into the final two round-robin games.

Player of the Day: Rewa Simons. Rewa was a force on defence all game and caused problems for the Linwood defence with his footwork and size.

Written by Tim Brocket.

Shu’s Corner

Trust everyone is enjoying the school holidays and having some down time as a family — and having fun!

Over the weekend, we hosted the wonderful Noosa U15 team, ably led by Don Warner (their Tour Leader). This team were absolutely superb guests! Please see some photos of the team in action, where they played a strong CBHS side. After a slow first half, the lads found their rhythm and played some very good footy in the second half. They headed off to Queenstown on Monday to enjoy a beautiful part of our awesome country!

Our thanks go to Hunter, Tim, and Budgie for their outstanding coaching skills on Sunday — and to Hunter for refereeing the game and running a quiz post-match. Awesome stuff, team!

It was a pleasure to present a small token of our appreciation to Terry Grose, Jasmine, and Monaro, who travel from the West Coast every fortnight to play for the U18 Senior Girls team. This level of commitment and dedication to wear the Christchurch Football Club jersey is outstanding — and we thank you so very much.

This weekend sees the Premier Development team at home, playing New Brighton with kick-off at 1:00 pm. This game will be supported by a mini Colts tournament being played at Christchurch Park, where seven teams will be in action, including our very own Colts Reserve team, with kick-off commencing at 12:30 pm.

On Sunday from 1:00 pm, come down and see how “Walking Rugby” is played. This will be followed by another outstanding game of footy by our very own Golden Oldies.Draydon Martin from our Premier Development team is currently looking for general labouring work. If you know of any opportunities, please reach out. Let’s support one of our own.

Lastly, the All Blacks vs France is on Saturday at 7:05 pm — so please stay on or come down to the clubrooms to watch what’s sure to be a great game of footy!

Housekeeping:

Subscriptions are now due and must be paid by 31st July 2025 — we ask all Team Managers to follow up with their respective teams.

Subscriptions are vitally important to the financial operation of the club, so please action this as soon as possible.

Payment Options:

• If an invoice has been issued, payments can be made directly to the club’s Operations Account:Christchurch Football Club Inc: 060996 00541746 000(Please reference the invoice number or the player’s name and team.)

• If no invoice has been issued, people can pay directly via the Xplorer App (initiate a Stripe payment), referencing the player name and team (if possible).

• If an invoice is required, please email:📧 accounts@christchurchpark.co.nzand include the player name and team name.

We appreciate your understanding in this matter.

Finally, welcome to Richard Trent of Trent Builders, who has joined the stable of sponsors at Christchurch Football Club. As always, we are truly thankful for the ongoing support of all our sponsors!

Written by Shu.

Senior Girls Pouākai vs Linwood

Pouākai 51 - Linwood 0

Having only played two games in the competition so far, the girls were very keen for a good hit-out. Unfortunately for Linwood, Pouākai dominated from the beginning, with a try in the first couple of minutes—and it was all upwards from there. The kicking boot of Mika and the try-scoring form of Alice, who is back with a vengeance after a year off, led the way. Linwood were committed on defence and worked hard, but it just wasn’t enough. The half-time score was 47–0, and the try count continued at a similar pace, although the final score was capped due to the 55-point differential rule.

The game ended with a presentation to the Grose family, who travel from the West Coast for games and as many Thursday trainings as they can make. Terry and Barb usually bring their own daughters, Keisha and Jasmine, and also regularly bring Monaro and Tahlia. In recognition of the huge commitment they make to the girls’ game and to our senior girls teams, Shu presented Terry with a gift card to assist with their costs. Barb was at the Kārearea game, so Terry accepted the gift card, along with Jasmine, Monaro, and a friend who travelled over for the weekend.

Senior Girls Pouākai vs Belfast

Pouākai 65 - Belfast 3

With only three games under their belt for the year, Saturday’s game was one to look forward to. Although missing some players due to illness and rugby league finals, Keisha, Ati, and Tahlia joined the team for the day, coming from the Senior Girls Kārearea team, who had a WBD. We also welcomed Holly, who has just joined the team, and were excited to have Maddy back on the field after a long recovery.

It was another dominant game for Pouākai, although Belfast held them up with spirited defence and took every opportunity to go on the attack. Belfast got points on the board early with a penalty goal, but Pouākai were too strong to allow any other chances.
 

Player Profiles

Name: Yuta Ohata

Background:

I attended St Bede’s College after moving to New Zealand from Japan at the age of 13 to study abroad. 

I am currently undertaking postgraduate study in Teaching and Education at the University of Canterbury, after completing a Bachelor's degree in Sports Coaching majoring in Strength and Conditioning.

I came to New Zealand to follow my passion for rugby. New Zealand is well known for the All Blacks and has a strong rugby culture with high-level competition. I still dream of becoming a professional rugby player and continue to work hard toward that goal in the Christchurch Rugby Football Club.

Name: Arata Yoshida

Background:

Hi, my name is Arata. I’m originally from Japan. I went to Christchurch boys’ high school and am currently studying at UC.

I came to New Zealand to push myself and grow as a rugby player and improve my English skills. NZ is one of the best places in the world for rugby. So I wanted to play there and experience that environment firsthand.

Since arrived here, I’ve really enjoyed nz rugby culture, meeting new people and learning some kiwi slangs. It’s been a great experience so far. both on and off the field.

 Walking Rugby Comes to CFC!

Christchurch Football Club is excited to launch Walking Rugby, a fun, non-contact, and inclusive version of our beloved game designed for all ages and fitness levels. Whether you’re recovering from injury, new to rugby, or just keen to enjoy a more social style of play, Walking Rugby is for you!

This 7-a-side, slower-paced game uses two-handed touches instead of tackles, and players walk (no running or pushing!) - focusing on teamwork, passing, fitness, and plenty of laughs.

Confirmed Dates:

Sunday 6 July, 1:00 PM – before our Golden Oldies home match vs Burnside

Sunday 10 August, 1:00 PM – before the Golden Oldies home match vs HSOB

We’re also looking to gauge interest in starting a Twilight Walking Rugby Competition with women’s, mixed, and men’s teams playing on the same night—a great way to get active and social midweek! Our goal: to make CFC the home of Walking Rugby in Christchurch.

Keep an eye on our social media pages for more info and how to get involved. Bring a mate, lace up your boots (or comfy sneakers), and come give it a go!
 

 

Article added: Friday 04 July 2025