Claudelands Rovers
Claudelands Rovers was formed in 1923 by Claudelands shop owners.
In 1985, with major sponsorship from Budget Homes, Claudelands Rovers appointed former Napier coach Roger Wilkinson and he rocketed them from the bottom of northern league division 2 to win promotion to the first division. Then, with the first team renamed as AFC Waikato, they won the first division in 1986. Then in leasing its spot to a private entity, Waikato FC, the northern premier league title was claimed. However Wilkinson was sacked early in the season after a row with club directors, leaving co-coach Tommy Taylor in charge. (Wilkinson then took up as Hamilton coach, where Taylor had orginally been).
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1975. Northern League 2nd Division
Dave Hall's squad finished fifth in the northern league second division.
Dave Hall's squad finished fifth in the northern league second division.
1988 Northern Premier League
An unfortunate spelling error for the first game of the season v Howick ("Claudeland" instead of Claudelands) but understandable in the circumstances. Rovers and Hamilton AFC had hurriedly stitched together a feeder club deal in support of the newly created Waikato United which had been invited into the national league, and it was basically the Hamilton club infrastructure looking after the programme (for a match played at Muir Park)
With all Waikato's players registered to either Hamilton or Claudelands, it was in fact a shadow Waikato team which used this match as a pre-season for the national league, the only point of difference being that it was officially coached by Barrie Simmonds rather than Roger Wilkinson.
Rovers president Stu Girvan - who played for Rovers first team and Waikato United - wrote in his programme column: "After the bad publicity that surrounded Waikato soccer last year, I believe clubs and administrators have got their acts together and now the future of the game in the province looks really good. With Claudelands and Hamilton pooling their first teams together, we now will see top soccer every weekend at Muir Park with National League and Country Maid League games."
An unfortunate spelling error for the first game of the season v Howick ("Claudeland" instead of Claudelands) but understandable in the circumstances. Rovers and Hamilton AFC had hurriedly stitched together a feeder club deal in support of the newly created Waikato United which had been invited into the national league, and it was basically the Hamilton club infrastructure looking after the programme (for a match played at Muir Park)
With all Waikato's players registered to either Hamilton or Claudelands, it was in fact a shadow Waikato team which used this match as a pre-season for the national league, the only point of difference being that it was officially coached by Barrie Simmonds rather than Roger Wilkinson.
Rovers president Stu Girvan - who played for Rovers first team and Waikato United - wrote in his programme column: "After the bad publicity that surrounded Waikato soccer last year, I believe clubs and administrators have got their acts together and now the future of the game in the province looks really good. With Claudelands and Hamilton pooling their first teams together, we now will see top soccer every weekend at Muir Park with National League and Country Maid League games."
1988
Stu Girvan and Pat Cheyne took over as Rovers coaches from Barrie Simmons very early in the piece, giving Girvan the rare distinction of being a club president, coach and first team coach all at once, while also playing for Waikato United on Sundays.
Programme was a joint one with Waikato United.
Girvan wrote in his column v East Coast Bays: "With the Claudelands Rovers squad we have a very young and inexperienced team with an average age of about 20. With having only 3-4 players that have played CMML before and 3-4 who have been playing lower level northern league football, we have found we are blooding 6-8 players from Waikato club soccer into a league which I believe is not far below national league standard. I am quite happy with the squad's progress so far, as they are improving with every game with their skill and determination. So to all you critics out there who are saying we are not good enough, it will take time but we will improve, and instead of knocking us, how about encouraging and supporting us."
Stu Girvan and Pat Cheyne took over as Rovers coaches from Barrie Simmons very early in the piece, giving Girvan the rare distinction of being a club president, coach and first team coach all at once, while also playing for Waikato United on Sundays.
Programme was a joint one with Waikato United.
Girvan wrote in his column v East Coast Bays: "With the Claudelands Rovers squad we have a very young and inexperienced team with an average age of about 20. With having only 3-4 players that have played CMML before and 3-4 who have been playing lower level northern league football, we have found we are blooding 6-8 players from Waikato club soccer into a league which I believe is not far below national league standard. I am quite happy with the squad's progress so far, as they are improving with every game with their skill and determination. So to all you critics out there who are saying we are not good enough, it will take time but we will improve, and instead of knocking us, how about encouraging and supporting us."
2013 Northern League Division 2: June 22 v Tauranga City United
Northern League Women's Premier : June 23 v Eastern Suburbs
Combined programme for men's and women's northern league teams, 8 pages, colour
Northern League Women's Premier : June 23 v Eastern Suburbs
Combined programme for men's and women's northern league teams, 8 pages, colour