It's Queen's Birthday weekend and it's the weekend of Round 2 of the Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup and the Chatham Cup, and we've had a look to see what you need to know ahead of the action kicking off on Friday evening.  

1. Eastern Suburbs enter the chat

By the time Eastern Suburbs finally get their 2019 Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup defence underway (having been awarded byes for the preliminary and first round proper of the 2021 edition of the Cup, and the 2020 edition cancelled due to COVID-19) it will have been approximately 15,263 hours between their lifting the trophy and kicking off their second-round tie with Cup newcomers Northland United. It’ll make the approximately 6-hour round trip (or 170km each way from Madills Farm) to Northland FC’s Trigg Arena seem like nothing in the scheme of things, though.

2. A (very) local derby and double headers

Wellington Olympic will have to endure a drive over 100 times shorter than Eastern Suburbs as they make their way to Wellington United’s home ground Newtown Park on Sunday for their Chatham Cup tie. Newtown Park also holds the distinction of being the only ground in the Capital region to host both Chatham Cup and Kate Sheppard Cup action this weekend, as Wellington United host W-League rivals Waterside Karori on Saturday. Spectators will probably want to avoid the crowds at nearby Wellington Zoo, though, with it being Queen’s Birthday Weekend.

A bit further north, and Auckland's Waikaraka Park hosts both Auckland United's Chatham Cup debut and Onehunga Sport's Kate Sheppard Cup clash with Northern Rovers on Saturday, while down south Cashmere Technical's Garrick Park also action from both Cups on Monday. 

Alternative caption: When you hear there’s a double header of Cup football in your neighbourhood.

3. Best of frenemies (for 90+ minutes)

Cantabrians have a Kate Sheppard Cup treat in store on Queens Birthday Monday morning, as Mainland Women’s Premiership table toppers Coastal Spirit travel to second-placed Cashmere Tech.

The teams feature a bit of a who’s who of 2020 ISPS Handa Women’s Premiership winning squad Canterbury United Pride, with Cashmere Tech featuring players such as Kate Taylor, Mikaela Hunt, Nicola Dominikovich and Lara Wall while Coastal Spirit can boast Britney-lee Nicholson, Whitney Hepburn, Jayda Stewart, Una Foyle and Rebecca Lake, who recently brought up a century of appearances for the Wainoni club.

Coastal Spirit and Cashmere Technical: Set to tussle in the Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup on Monday. Credit: Matt Hastings

4. Strikers setting the pace in the Golden Boot race

Garbhan Coughlan’s six (6) goals in Cashmere Technical’s 8-0 demolition of Parklands United sees him top the Chatham Cup charts, and will look to add to his tally against Selwyn United from 2pm Monday. Meanwhile, Otago University AFC’s Amy Hislop and New Plymouth Rangers AFC’s Holly Kleinsmann tops both the Kate Sheppard Cup list with five goals each, and are also topping the Otago Daily Times Women’s Southern Premiership and Tungsten Legal Taranaki Women’s Premiership Golden Boot charts respectively.

5. Last of the Chatham Cup debutants make their entrance

Auckland City FC, while sitting atop the Northern League, make their Chatham Cup debut this weekend. NRFL Div 1 side Ellerslie AFC will trot along to Kiwitea St, where the Ponies will be looking to make an impression (and if you can’t get along to watch the game in person, you’ll be able to follow along on Twitter).

City are joined by other Chatham Cup debutants Auckland United AFC, Northern Rovers and West Coast Rangers, all new to the Cup courtesy of recent mergers, this weekend.

Article added: Thursday 03 June 2021