Stokes Valley Junior Football

⚽️🔥 PLAYERS OF THE DAY – WEEKS 9–14! 🔥⚽️

Okay… we may be a little bit behind on our Players of the Day posts! 😂🙈

The season has been flying by, and while we’ve been busy doing all the football things, our Players of the Day have continued to put in the mahi week after week.

So, it’s finally time to give these awesome players the recognition they deserve! 👏🏆

From Week 9 all the way through to Week 14, we have plenty of fantastic players to celebrate. Each of these players has stood out for their effort, attitude, teamwork, determination, skill and the way they’ve represented their team on the field. ❤️💛

A massive CONGRATULATIONS to everyone who has been named Player of the Day over these six weeks! 🌟

We might be playing catch-up with the posts, but we definitely haven’t forgotten about you! 😉

Now… let’s see all those awesome faces! 📸⚽️

🌟 A HUGE CONGRATULATIONS TO CRYSTA! 🌟

We’re incredibly proud to share that our very own Crysta has been selected for the Women in Football Leadership Programme! ⚽️👏

Crysta does so much behind the scenes for our club, always working hard to support our players, families and committee — so it’s fantastic to see her recognised with this amazing opportunity.

We’re so proud to have you representing Stokes Valley Junior Football Club, Crysta! ❤️💛🖤

Congratulations — you absolutely deserve it! 🙌⚽️

Introducing our 2026 Regional Women in Leadership cohort!

Congratulations to our 19 successful applicants, each nominated by someone in their community in recognition of the mahi they contribute to the game. They represent 15 clubs, two supported external organisations and Capital Football’s refereeing community.

The Regional Women in Leadership Programme supports wāhine to grow their confidence, leadership and impact across football and beyond. We’re proud of the mahi they already contribute and look forward to supporting them throughout the programme.

2026 Regional Women in Leadership Programme dates below:
📅 Saturday 31 October
📅 Saturday 7 November

⚽️ MEET THE COMMITTEE — SAMMIE! ⚽️

You know that person who says, “I can help with that”… and then somehow ends up doing 17 other things too?

Yeah. That’s me. 😂

Social media? Yep.
Events? Yep.
Fundraising? Yep.
Photos? Yep.
Random jobs that nobody else wants to do? Somehow, also yep. 😂

I’m one of the people behind the scenes helping keep things moving at SVJFC. Committee member, professional chaos enthusiast, and apparently very good at signing up for things that turn into much bigger jobs than expected. 😂❤️💛🖤

Position: Junior Committee Member
Years at SVJFC: 3 years
Favourite club: Aston Villa 💜🩵 & Stokes Valley JFC ❤️💛🖤
Favourite team: U9 Anthony’s

Favourite thing about SVJFC:
Without a doubt, it’s the kids. I love watching them play, seeing their personalities come out on the field, making friends and watching those friendships grow. There’s something really special about seeing kids come to football each week, have fun, build confidence and feel like they’re part of something. Seeing them grow — not just as footballers, but as people — it’s really special.

Role at the club:
I’m one of the people behind the scenes helping keep things moving! A big part of my role is social media and communications, but I’m also involved in organising and running events, fundraising, and all the random jobs that seem to pop up along the way. Basically, if there’s something that needs doing, I’m happy to jump in and help — including occasionally babysitting Symon! 😂

About me:
I came to SVJFC as a parent and somehow ended up getting completely involved! 😂 What started with helping out behind the scenes has grown into a real passion for helping make our club the best it can be. I’m definitely someone who finds it hard to sit back and watch when I know I can help.

Outside of football, I’m a mum of three, so life is pretty much always busy! 😂 I’ve spent the last 11 years as a stay-at-home mum, and these days I’m usually juggling family life with whatever project I’ve managed to get myself involved in next. There’s always something going on, and apparently I quite like the chaos! 😂

Fun fact:
I love cars and plants — my husband collects cars, I collect plants, and between us we’ve somehow managed to make “just one more” a very regular occurrence. 😂🚗🌿

⚽ Meet the Committee – Keith Ansell

Up next in our “Meet the Committee” series is Keith Ansell! ⚽️🙌 Keith is one of the people helping out behind the scenes at SVJFC, coaching our U8 Mackays and supporting the growth of junior football at the club.

Position: Junior Committee Member
Years at SVJFC: 2 years | Coaching: 2 years
Favourite Team: U8 Mackays

Favourite thing about SVJFC:
Watching our young players develop in confidence as they begin to play more open, passing football. Seeing them work together as a team and enjoy the game is incredibly rewarding.

Role at the club:
I coach the U8 Mackays and am proud to be part of the Junior Committee. I enjoy supporting the growth of junior football and helping create a positive environment where players, coaches and families can all enjoy the game.

About me:
I joined the committee because I wanted to give back to the club my son plays for. Outside of football, I own and operate Northstar Technical Services, specialising in electrical and renewable energy solutions.

I’m passionate about helping young players build confidence, develop good habits and, most importantly, enjoy their football while creating a positive team culture.

Fun fact:
I probably spend as much time designing training sessions as I do coaching them! I genuinely enjoy creating new drills and game-based practices—it helps me recharge after a busy week, and seeing the kids put them into action makes it all worthwhile. ⚽️

Come say hi if you see me around the club 👋

❤️💛🖤 WHAT A DAY FOR SVJFC! 🖤💛❤️

Four teams. One club. One awesome day of football! ⚽️🔥

Our U8s had an absolute cracker, with one team finishing 1st on points in their pool and the other finishing 4th. Both teams put in some fantastic performances, played some awesome football and gave it everything throughout the day. 🙌🔥

Our U9s were just impressive, with both teams finishing 3rd in their respective pools! They played their hearts out in every game, showed plenty of determination, skill and team spirit, and gave us plenty to cheer about along the way. 💪⚽️

Four teams, four brilliant efforts, and SO much to be proud of! ❤️💛🖤

The results are awesome, but what makes us even prouder is seeing our tamariki out there giving it their all, supporting their teammates, having fun and doing what they love.

A huge thank you to our coaches, managers, volunteers and all the whānau who got behind the teams today. The sideline support was awesome!

Well done, SVJFC! What a day! ❤️💛🖤⚽️🔥

Well… it’s been a little while since our last “Meet the Committee” post 😅 Life got busy, football happened, and somehow the weeks just disappeared! But we’re back, and it’s time to introduce you to another one of the awesome people behind the scenes at SVJFC 🙌⚽️

⚽ Meet the Committee – McKenzie ⚽️

Position: Committee Member
Years at SVJFC: 3 years (coaching)
Playing: 20 years
Favourite Team: U9 O’Briens

Favourite thing about SVJFC:
The care and dedication of the people behind the scenes to ensure our tamariki feel like they belong.

Role at the club:
I support the committee, coach the O’Briens, and mostly just do as Symon tells me! 😅 I’m always happy to fill in wherever I’m needed and help out around the club.

About me:
I started coaching with SVJFC when my daughter joined as an U7. Since then, I’ve coached the O’Briens for the past three years, but I’ve been coaching junior football teams on and off for around 15 years.

Outside of SVJFC, I’m a Change Manager by trade and a player for Waterside Karori 😅

Fun fact:
I was a representative goalkeeper in my younger years, but these days centre back is where I thrive! ⚽️

Come say hi if you see me around the club 👋

⚽️❤️💛🖤 Football That Goes Beyond the Field 🖤💛❤️⚽️

We’re incredibly proud to share that our club recently donated two sets of children’s football uniforms and 10 footballs to Deuba Village School in Fiji. 🇫🇯⚽️

The equipment was donated as part of a community outreach visit involving the Fiji Police Force Superintendent’s Qualifying Course, with the aim of supporting and connecting with the local village and school community.

A special thank you to Spencer, one of our own club members, for helping make this donation possible. It’s fantastic to see our football family reaching beyond our own community and helping give children the opportunity to get out on the field, play football and enjoy being part of a team. ❤️💛🖤

We hope the uniforms and footballs bring plenty of fun, laughter and football memories for the students at Deuba Village School! ⚽️🙌

From Stokes Valley to Fiji — football really does bring people together. 🌏⚽️

🥶⚽ First Kicks is still on tonight! ⚽🥶

It’s a chilly one, so make sure you wrap up warm and we’ll see you all on the field tonight! ❤️💛🖤

⚽️ We’re Back! ⚽️

We hope everyone had a fantastic school holiday break and managed to enjoy some well-earned rest. 🌟

Junior and Youth football is back this weekend, with our and we can’t wait to see all our players back out on the pitch, ready for another exciting term of football! ❤️💛🖤

A reminder that First Kicks also returns on Friday 24th July, and we can’t wait to welcome all our little footballers back for another fun-filled session! ⚽️

Good luck to all our teams this weekend. Play hard, have fun, and most importantly, enjoy being back with your teammates!

See you on the sidelines! 🙌❤️💛🖤