The football fans who flock to McFetridge Park on Auckland’s North Shore on Sunday will be treated to the rare sight of the ISPS Handa Chatham Cup and Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup sitting proudly side-by-side.

The trophies, which rarely ever appear in the same room, will both be onsite as Kate Sheppard Cup holders Glenfield Rovers look to keep their defence going with a home tie against Three Kings United while their male counterparts play host to Onehunga Sports, current champions of the Chatham Cup, in a unique double header.

The famous cups will be on show in the Glenfield club rooms throughout the day and fans can have their photos taken with the most sought-after prizes in domestic winter football. A signed All Whites shirt and tickets to the VIP suite at QBE Stadium on cup finals day are also on offer to those who enter the competition by getting a photo with the trophies and loading it to Instagram.

Andy Clay is a long-time servant of Glenfield – he has previously coached the men’s team and is now in charge of the women – and is looking forward to celebrating what he describes as one of the club’s biggest days in recent memory.

“I think it’s a great initiative to get this going and it’s great to see both the trophies getting a bit of air time and publicity,” he says.

“It’s only round three in both competitions so we still have a long way to go but we’re already getting a buzz of excitement which doesn’t usually happen until the quarters, semis and final. It will be great to see a lot of people with kids at the club coming down and strengthening the bond between the juniors and the seniors.”

Clay’s side has a proud recent history to protect in the Kate Sheppard Cup after winning four of the past seven finals but have been handed a tough task with the visit of 2012 winners Three Kings, who have also claimed back-to-back titles in the Lotto NRFL Women’s Premier League.

Rovers currently have the edge in the league as they are in first place, three points ahead of Three Kings, and Clay feels his players will respond well to the sense of occasion on Sunday.

“I’ve already had a word about the fact it’s going to be a build-up more like the final. The plus side for us is that, at the risk of sounding arrogant, we’ve been in a few finals over the years so we’re used to having the hoop-la around it,” he says.

“We’ve got nine players that have played international football for New Zealand at age group or senior level. So they understand the distractions and will hopefully get excited by them rather than distracted.”

In contrast to the women’s string of success in the Kate Sheppard Cup, the Glenfield men’s team are yet to lift the Chatham Cup and Clay says finally doing so would mean a lot to the club stalwarts.

“I think it would be the holy grail for them,” he says.

“It would certainly be something the membership would love and, if we can get a deep run going for both the men and the women, the club would be a really fun place to be.”

The Glenfield men’s coach is former All White Carl Jorgensen and, like Clay, he has also coached the first teams of both genders at the club. He has led Rovers to a current placing of third in the Lotto NRFL Premier League but they are one place and four points behind Onehunga Sports, who also have a game in hand.

Both Glenfield sides will therefore have their work cut out for them to extend the celebratory vibe of the day into the evening but that pressure is welcomed by Clay.

“Of course we would have preferred to get Onehunga and Three Kings later but that’s the nature of the cups,” he says.

“That’s how it works and that’s why there’s so much drama in it because you know it’s kitchen sink time. You don’t get a second go at it and you could be watching with a sad face from the sidelines for the last couple of months of the season while teams you felt you could have beaten go on cup runs.”

There is a full schedule of other fixtures in both the ISPS Handa Chatham Cup and Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup this weekend. Below are all the fixture details for round three of both competitions.

Football Foundation Kate Sheppard Cup

Saturday 23 June

Upper Hutt City vs Wairarapa United, 12pm, Maidstone Park
Eastern Suburbs vs Papakura City, 1pm, Madills Farm
Dunedin Technical vs Universities, 2pm, Tahuna Park
Otago University vs Coastal Spirit, 2pm, Caledonian Ground

Sunday 24 June

Glenfield Rovers vs Three Kings United, 11am, McFetridge Park
Norwest United vs Forrest Hill Milford United, 1pm, Huapai Reserve
Hamilton Wanderers vs Onehunga Sports, 1pm, Porritt Park
Waterside Karori vs Wellington United, 1pm, Wakefield Park

ISPS Handa Chatham Cup

Saturday 23 June

Melville United vs Hibiscus Coast, 2pm, Gower Park
Manukau United vs Three Kings United, 2pm, Centre Park
North Shore United vs Mt Albert Ponsonby, 2pm, Allen Hill Stadium
East Coast Bays vs Bucklands Beach, 2pm, Bay City Park
Waikato Unicol vs Central United, 2pm, Jansen Park
Waterside Karori vs Western Suburbs, 2pm, Karori Park
Roslyn Wakari vs Mosgiel, 2pm, Ellis Park
Grants Braes vs Green Island, 2pm, Ocean Grove
North Wellington vs Upper Hutt City, 2.30pm, Alex Moore Park
Rangers vs Nelson Suburbs, 2.30pm, A&P Park (Blenheim)
Coastal Spirit vs Cashmere Technical, 2.30pm, English Park
Wellington Olympic vs Wairarapa United, 5.45pm, Wakefield Park

Sunday 24 June

Glenfield Rovers vs Onehunga Sports, 2pm, McFetridge Park
Birkenhead United vs Papamoa, 2pm, Shepherds Park
Tauranga City United vs Western Springs, 2pm, Links Avenue
Palmerston North Marist vs Stop Out, 2pm, Memorial Park (Palmerston North)

Article added: Friday 22 June 2018