Wellington United Diamonds 2018 Kelly Cup Champions
WELLINGTON UNITED SET TO DEFEND HISTORIC TROPHY
Friday 15 March 2019
Words : WUAFC Media
Wellington United Diamonds (1st) and Sapphires (2nd) Women’s teams kick off the 2019 season tomorrow with games in the historic Kelly Cup Competition.
The Kelly Cup is the oldest Women’s football trophy in New Zealand, started in 1973 when Val & Terry Nutter from the then Newlands Club presented the cup for a knockout competition and named it after the first president of the Wellington Women’s Football Association, Pat Kelly.
It quickly gained respect and honour as a premier cup competition and despite having being superseded by the National Women’s Knockout Cup, now known as the Kate Sheppard Cup, it is still one of the most prestigious trophies in New Zealand Women’s Football.
Wellington United Diamonds won the trophy for the first time last season with a 2-1 win over Waterside Karori in the final. It was a significant win for the club which includes in its family Hungaria, who formed the first women’s club in the modern era in 1970.
Diamonds face a tough assignment away to the Paul Ifill coached Wairarapa United, the only team that managed to take points of them last season (a 3-3 draw). While the away team is Wairarapa the game will actually be played at Upper Hutt’s Maidstone Park, giving Wellington United’s new signing, Emma Main a debut at the ground she used to call home.
The competition has been extended this season to include some Capital Premier teams, including the Wellington United Sapphires. They also have a tough start against the Victoria University side that pipped them to second place in the Capital Premier division last season. Coaches Miaka Ruyter-Hooley and Alice Cook-Harvie will be hoping for a great start to the season with their young squad.
ENDS
MATCH DETAILS
Kelly Cup Round 1
Saturday 16th March 2019
Wairarapa United v Wellington United Diamonds
Kick Off 3pm
Maidstone Park, Upper Hutt
#kellycup
Victoria University v Wellington United Sapphires
Kick off 3pm
Petone Memorial, Petone
#kellycup
The Kelly Cup is the oldest Women’s football trophy in New Zealand, started in 1973 when Val & Terry Nutter from the then Newlands Club presented the cup for a knockout competition and named it after the first president of the Wellington Women’s Football Association, Pat Kelly.
It quickly gained respect and honour as a premier cup competition and despite having being superseded by the National Women’s Knockout Cup, now known as the Kate Sheppard Cup, it is still one of the most prestigious trophies in New Zealand Women’s Football.
Wellington United Diamonds won the trophy for the first time last season with a 2-1 win over Waterside Karori in the final. It was a significant win for the club which includes in its family Hungaria, who formed the first women’s club in the modern era in 1970.
Diamonds face a tough assignment away to the Paul Ifill coached Wairarapa United, the only team that managed to take points of them last season (a 3-3 draw). While the away team is Wairarapa the game will actually be played at Upper Hutt’s Maidstone Park, giving Wellington United’s new signing, Emma Main a debut at the ground she used to call home.
The competition has been extended this season to include some Capital Premier teams, including the Wellington United Sapphires. They also have a tough start against the Victoria University side that pipped them to second place in the Capital Premier division last season. Coaches Miaka Ruyter-Hooley and Alice Cook-Harvie will be hoping for a great start to the season with their young squad.
ENDS
MATCH DETAILS
Kelly Cup Round 1
Saturday 16th March 2019
Wairarapa United v Wellington United Diamonds
Kick Off 3pm
Maidstone Park, Upper Hutt
#kellycup
Victoria University v Wellington United Sapphires
Kick off 3pm
Petone Memorial, Petone
#kellycup
