The Wanaka Associated Football Club (AFC) senior club preseason kicked off at the beginning of February in preparation for the 2021 season.

The club says it plans to have two competitive senior teams this year and a social side.

In 2020 Wanaka AFC’s first team (WAFC Premiers) finished in the top four of the men’s Southern Premier League. It was just their second year playing at this level.

The clubs second men's team, the Premier Reserves, will play in division one of the Central Otago League (COL). 

The club says its two senior sides will work closely this year to ensure cohesion between the two squads with an aim to create competitive sides which players can easily interchange between.

“The goal this year is to aim higher but most importantly to play good and attractive football,” a club spokesperson said.

This Sunday (February 20) will see the first of a series of preseason games with the Wanaka Premier Reserves playing University AFC third team from Dunedin at 1pm and at 3pm the Premiers will play Cromwell A. Both matches will be played at The Wanaka Recreation Centre.

Pre-season matches will continue through to the beginning of the competitive season on Saturday March 20.

Head coaches Ian Bell (Premiers) and Leon Roode (Premier Reserves) say they are looking forward to the preseason games and the first real chance to look at players, especially new players to the club, and the chance to gather valuable data to help make selections.

The Southern Premier League has eight teams, reduced from nine in 2020 due to the club partnership between Caversham AFC and Dunedin Technical AFC to form a new 'South City Royals' partnership.

Each team will play all other teams twice, meaning 14 game weekends. At the end of the Southern Premier League the top three placed teams will qualify into a South Island League along with the top five teams from the Mainland Premier League. The remaining five teams from the Southern Premier League will play each other once in the Southern Championship.

The South Island League, and Southern Championship will begin around mid-July and finish in early September.

PHOTO: Wanaka AFC