From the Plains to the Pitch

🎧 Episode 5: Where Football Meets the Future
Presented by Paton Kitchens Ngatea

This week, we’re recording on the road at Hauraki Plains College — our local school for students aged 13–18 — to explore how sport, education, and career pathways all connect.

We’re joined by:
🏫 Jono — Deputy Head at HPC and Wolves first-team player
🎓 Pippa Lawlor — Careers Advisor at HPC

Together, we discuss:
⚽ How school sport helps shape ...

This week, we’re taking From the Plains to the Pitch back to school — literally. 🏫⚽

We sit down at Hauraki Plains College with Deputy Head (and Wolves player) Jono and Careers Advisor Pippa Lawlor to talk:
🎯 How sport shapes young people
🧠 Building strong mindsets through education
📈 Career pathways in and around football

Then we switch gears with a deep dive into the professional game — chatting to Carl Edwards, Footbal...

🎧 Episode 4: Football and Family
Presented by Laser Electrical Ngatea

This week, we’re joined by one of the most football-mad families around — the Rawnsleys. Mum Sarah manages our U12 Pythons, Liam plays in the junior squad, and older brother James now suits up for Kaimai Rangers.

In this episode:
👨‍👩‍👦 The ups and downs of managing a junior football team
⚽️ What it's like growing up in a football family
🧠 Coach...

This week, we’re joined by one of the most football-mad families around — the Rawnsleys. Mum Sarah manages our U12 Pythons, Liam plays in the junior squad, and older brother James now suits up for Kaimai Rangers.

In this episode:
👨‍👩‍👦 The ups and downs of managing a junior football team
⚽️ What it's like growing up in a football family
🧠 Coaching advice and youth football culture
🎯 Our Switched On Challenge — trivia, laughs, and t...

In this week’s episode, we’re joined by Scott and Natalie from WaiBOP Football to explore what it takes to develop the game from the ground up — in clubs, communities, and classrooms across the region.

We dive into:

• Coaching juniors vs seniors

• Progression for coaches and referees in NZ football

• Growing the women’s game and keeping girls in football

• Building strong, inclusive club culture

• Careers around football — from admin to analys...

In this episode, we sit down with Auckland City FC defender Alfie Rogers to hear how a grassroots footballer found himself playing on the global stage at six FIFA Club World Cups. Alfie shares his development journey, the demands of international club football, and the lessons that started on local soil.

We also bring you:– Juniors Corner: match recaps and standout young players– The Switched On Challenge, presented by Laser Electri...

In our very first episode of From the Plains to the Pitch, we dig into the 41-year story of Hauraki Plains FC — from its grassroots beginnings in 1984 as a junior-only club to launching its first senior men’s team in 2023.

Joining us is Wolves centre-back, junior coach, and all-round club legend Phil J. We talk about his journey from the backline to the sidelines, coaching our U12 all-girls team, and what it means to be part of some...

Our story starts here. 🐺⚽️

41 years of history, a brand new senior men’s team, and one man who’s been at the heart of both — centre back, junior coach, and proud Wolves dad Phil J joins us for the very first episode of From the Plains to the Pitch.

📻 Real voices from the past
🟰 Honest chats about building something from the ground up
💬 Coaching, community, and club culture
🔌 Plus: our first Switched On Quiz — powered by...