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Harrison ROWE (GK 14.

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Cory VICKERS 3.

Cory VICKERS 3.

There will be much success – and the occasional disappointment - to reflect upon when Melville hosts its “Celebrating 50 Years” weekend from November 4-6. Fifty years is not a huge lifespan in terms of community sports clubs these days, with a number of entities well into their second century.

Melville’s inaugural 1975 senior team: Back row, from left: Bob Owens (coach), Tony Tatler, Alan Chapman, Roger Salisbury, Garry White, Steve Randall, Chris Hoyle. Front: Blair McKenzie, Sean Mullaney, Dave Nichols, Mark Townley, Eric Scott, Glen Buckland.

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But what is remarkable has been the qualitative progress of the Melville club within that time frame, emerging from the depth of Waikato social divisions to the national league and to two Chatham Cup finals and the forging of an academy programme which is beginning to produce international players in their own right. Along the way Melville has also won the northern premier league title in 1995 and 2009. Fiftieth celebrations kick off with a “Meet & Greet” evening at Gower Park on Friday November 4 (entry $10) from 7pm.

Saturday events on the celebration weekend will include the 2003 Chatham Cup final team reconvening to play a match at Gower Park, a game between two Melville Over 50 teams (Celebrating 50), and a women’s match. Feature of the weekend will be the Saturday night celebration dinner at Claudelands Events Centre (6pm) where speakers will include first team captain and former All White Aaron Scott, and club life member Steve Owens (son of club founder Bob Owens) while a band, Decibel, has also been booked for the evening. (Tickets are $100 and MUST be booked prior to October 28 – see elsewhere on the website or email timings5@outlook.com ). Melville historian Ron Anorak noted that when Melville AFC took shape as a senior club in 1975 (from 1972-74 it was just juniors) there were more than 40 other existing clubs ranked ahead of them within what is now the Waikato-Bay of Plenty Federation region. By contrast, as of this month, Melville are the highest-ranked club in terms of senior men’s performance within the WaiBOP federation, have well-established clubrooms, the best club-owned floodlighting in the Waikato, and arguably the best-performing youth academy. Waikato football was in relatively good heart when Melville District Schoolboys was formed in 1972. Hamilton AFC won the northern league that year and in a playoff for a national league berth twice drew with Wellington Diamond United before losing 21 in a deciding third match played at Wanganui. Elsewhere on the Hamilton football landscape Claudelands Rovers were in northern league division 3 and Frankton Railway were in northern league division four. Other Waikato northern league clubs were Huntly Thistle (Div 2), Tokoroa (Div 3) and Horotiu's Affco Rangers (Div 4). Waikato had 38 senior men's teams and 148 junior or youth teams. When Melville finally qualified for the northern league in 1982 the landscape was remarkably different. While Melville United is today contesting the northern premier (and national) league, Melville's opponents that season were: Taumarunui, Turangi, Waiouru, Otumoetai, Whakatane and Taupo, all missing from the northern league map today. Since the northern league was founded in 1965, Melville has been one of just four clubs to have taken the premier (or Div 1 title prior to 1984) title outside of Auckland, the others being Tauranga City United, and the now-defunct Hamilton AFC and Waikato FC (which in 1987 controversially “leased” Claudelands Rovers’ northern premier league spot as a private entity). REMINDER: Your dinner bookings must be made urgently, there can be no sales on the day.

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