Waitakere United was a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

club based in

Waitakere City Waitākere City was a territorial authority in West Auckland, New Zealand; it was governed by the Waitākere City Council from 1989 to 2010. It was New Zealand's fifth-largest city, with an annual growth of about 2%. In 2010 the council was a ...

New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...

. They were one of the franchises in the

ISPS Handa Premiership The New Zealand Football Championship ( mi, Te Whakataetae Whutupaoro a Aotearoa) was a men's association football league at the top of the New Zealand league system. Founded in 2004, the New Zealand Football Championship was the successor to a m ...

. They played their home games at

Fred Taylor Park Fred Taylor Park is an association football ground based in Whenuapai, Auckland. It is the home ground of West Coast Rangers. It also is the former home to Waitakere City F.C. and Waitakere United before the clubs dissolved in 2020 and 2021 r ...

in Kumeu and

The Trusts Arena The Trusts Arena is an indoor arena located in Henderson, New Zealand, Henderson, Auckland, New Zealand. It is a multi-purpose stadium that primarily holds sports events and music concerts. The Arena was opened by then Prime Minister of New Ze ...

History

Waitakere United was formed as a special franchise club in 2004 to play in the

New Zealand Football Championship The New Zealand Football Championship ( mi, Te Whakataetae Whutupaoro a Aotearoa) was a men's association football league at the top of the New Zealand league system. Founded in 2004, the New Zealand Football Championship was the successor to a m ...

(NZFC), New Zealand's top domestic football competition. The team represented 12 member clubs from Mt Albert to the Kaipara. In the inaugural season (2004–05) of the NZFC, Waitakere United finished runners-up to the champions

Auckland City Auckland City was a territorial authority with city status covering the central isthmus of the urban area of Auckland, New Zealand. It was governed by the Auckland City Council from 1989 to 2010, and as a territory within the wider Auckland R ...

but they followed up with a very disappointing 6th place in the next season. In the following season, however, Waitakere finished as NZFC premiers but lost in the grand final once again to Auckland City FC 3–2. Due to the withdrawal of

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...

's Port Vila Sharks, Waitakere was given a berth in the inaugural

OFC Champions League The OFC Champions League, also known as the O-League, is the premier men's club soccer competition in Oceania. It is organised by the OFC, Oceania's football governing body. Beginning as the Oceania Club Championship (1987–2006), it has been ...

, for

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

, as NZFC premiers. They finished atop their group, edging out Auckland City and

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AS Mont-Dore AS Mont-Dore is a New Caledonia football team playing in the local top division, the New Caledonia Division Honneur. The team is based in Le Mont-Dore, a commune in the suburbs of Nouméa, the capital city of the French territory. Honours New ...

. They went on to defeat Ba FC of

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

in the final, becoming the first OFC-League champions.

Commins Menapi Commins Menapi (18 September 1977 – 18 November 2017) was a Solomon Islands striker, who was last the manager of Western United. He guided them to their first and only Telekom S league title season 2014/2015. Club career He played for Young ...

scored a crucial away goal that proved the difference as the tie finished 2–2 in aggregate. Taking this championship qualified United to compete in the

2007 FIFA Club World Cup The 2007 FIFA Club World Cup (officially known as the FIFA Club World Cup Japan 2007 presented by Toyota for sponsorship reasons) was a football tournament played in Japan from 7 to 16 December 2007. It was the fourth FIFA Club World Cup, a tourn ...

in Japan, where they lost in the 'play-in' match to

Sepahan Foolad Mobarakeh Sepahan Sport Club ( fa, باشگاه فرهنگی ورزشی فولاد مبارکه سپاهان اصفهان, ''Bâšgâh-è Varzeši-ye Fulâd-è Mobârake-ye Sepâhân''), commonly known as Sepahan S.C., are an Iranian spor ...

1–3. Waitakere United defended their championship in capturing the

2007–08 OFC Champions League The 2007–08 OFC Champions League was the 7th edition of the Oceanian Club Championship, Oceania's premier club football tournament organized by the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC), and the 2nd season under the current OFC Champions League n ...

, defeating Kossa in the final 6–3 in goal aggregate. During this season, Douglas Field was under extensive renovation forcing Waitakere United to play most of their home fixtures at Fred Taylor Park in

Whenuapai Whenuapai is a suburb and aerodrome located in northwestern Auckland, in the North Island of New Zealand. It is located on the northwestern shore of the Waitematā Harbour, 15 kilometres to the northwest of Auckland's city centre. It is one of th ...

. Waitakere had a notable

rivalry A rivalry is the state of two people or groups engaging in a lasting competitive relationship. Rivalry is the "against each other" spirit between two competing sides. The relationship itself may also be called "a rivalry", and each participant o ...

with neighbours

. With the change of structure of

football in New Zealand Association football, also known as football or soccer, is a popular recreation sport in New Zealand. The sport is administered in New Zealand by the governing body New Zealand Football (NZF). It is the third-most popular men's team sport after ...

at the start of 2021, and the creation of the new

New Zealand National League The New Zealand Men's National League is a men's football league at the top of the New Zealand football league system. Founded in 2021, the New Zealand National League is the successor to the New Zealand Football Championship. The league will be ...

, this saw the end of Waitakere United, and consequently the end of the Auckland Derby.

Honours

**Championship (5): 2007–08, 2009-10, 2010-11, 2011-12, 2012-13 **Premiership (5): 2006–07, 2007–08, 2008–09, 2010-11,

2012–13 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

(2):

, 2007–08 * ASB National Youth League (2): 2008, 2011 *ASB Phoenix Challenge: 2010 * ASB Charity Cup: 2012

Performance in OFC competitions

: 7 appearances ::Best: Champions in

and 2007–08 ::

: Champions :: 2007–08: Champions :: 2008–09: 2° in Group A :: 2009–10: ''Finalist'' ::

2010–11 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number representing a single or the only entity. 1 is also a numerical digit and represents a single unit of counting or measurement. For example, a line segment of ''unit length'' is a line segment of length 1. I ...

: 2° in Group B :: 2011–12: 2° in Group A ::

: ''Finalist''

FIFA Club World Cup History

Current squad

''As of 23 January 2021''

Staff

*Youth Team Coach: Mark Holt *Goalkeeper coach: Kevin O'Leary

Managers

* Chris Milicich (2004–05) * Steve Cain (1 July 2006 – 30 June 2007) * Chris Milicich (1 July 2007 – 30 June 2009) *

Neil Emblen Neil Emblen (born 19 June 1971) is an English former professional footballer who is the assistant coach of Colorado Rapids and New Zealand. He has served as assistant head coach of New Zealand under Ricki Herbert and of Anthony Hudson, and wa ...

(1 July 2009 – 30 June 2012) * Paul Marshall (1 July 2012 – 30 June 2013) * Paul Temple &

Brian Shelley Brian Shelley (born 15 November 1981) is an Irish football player-coach for Waitakere United. Besides the Republic of Ireland, he has played in New Zealand. He began his career at Shamrock Rovers but moved to rivals Bohemians in 2000. He made ...

(1 July 2013–15) * Chris Milicich (2015 – 2019) * Paul Hobson (30 November 2019 – Present)

References

External links

Official siteStadium WebsiteNew Zealand Football Championship Official Site
{{Sport in Auckland Association football clubs in Auckland Association football clubs established in 2004 2004 establishments in New Zealand OFC Champions League winning clubs