SANDY CUMPSTONE - 150 GAMES
Friday 31 July 2020
Words Dave Webster, WUAFC Media
Photo TJF Photos
Poster Weston Design
It's been a year of playing milestones at Wellington United and the latest one occurred last Sunday, playing records of appearances have been kept since 1968, in that time the Wellington United family of clubs has had 13 players that have achieved over 150 1st and 2nd team appearances. Names rich in the folklore of the club like Jeff Strom, Mike Simeonoff, Billy Harris, Malcolm Dunford, Bobby & Gary Minshull. Club Captain Sandy Cumpstone becomes the latest to be added to that list and she is the first Woman.
Sandy got into, or tried to get into playing football at high school in the small Waikato town of Otorohanga. While it was unusual enough for football to be played at the high school in a rugby mad town, it was even more unusual for a female to want to play. The football coach, Ram Chetty, was supportive but Netball remained the priority during the winter months. There was however summer football where the whole town gathered for competitive social football, supported by the local businesses. This was to be Sandy's segway into football... once she overcame some initial opposition. Sandy's Mum's boss was one of the organisers of the summer football competition and told her Mum that Sandy wouldn't be able to play as she would get hurt. Sandy's Mum replied that she would tell her daughter this but supported Sandy when she responded that they couldn't stop her from playing just because she was a girl. After scoring a header in her first game, she quelled any doubts that the organisers had!
When Sandy left school she moved to Wellington to study Sports Management and Exercise Prescription. Looking for a club to play for, she used google and it came up with Wellington United. Team manager Anthony Mumby said "I was standing outside the old clubrooms and she came up to me and asked if she could play for us. We only had one team in Division 3 at the time; I told her to come to the next training but said I couldn't promise her game time. She turned up at the next training, kicked the ball and the rest was history!"
The Women's section at Wellington United grew over the next few years especially with the help of Melissa Gill and Laura Menzies and grew to four teams. After near successive promotions, the first team won Wellington Division One (now the Premier League) in 2009 and got promoted to the Women's Central League for 2010. It was a difficult inaugural season that cumulated with a last day do or die fixture against Lower Hutt City. Diamonds needed to win by four clear goals to stay up, which easier said than done when the team had only scored four goals all season! The Diamonds managed it though winning 4-0, with Sandy getting one of the goals. It's a game she regards as one her most memorable games and says it was a vitally important game as had they lost and been relegated it was quite likely that the team would have disbanded and Women's football at Wellington United would never be where it is today.
The following season the club employed Argentinian, Guillermo Schiltenwolf as coach for the Women's team and gave him the mandate to build a pathway for the women's side of the club. Guille was to become a significant part of Sandy's life, when after seeking the OK from the club chairman, they started dating. It is a successful partnership which saw them engaged in 2015 and then travel to Argentina in 2017 to get married :)
2009 also saw Sandy selected for the Capital Women's team in the National Women's League, they got all the way to the grand final but came up against a Football Ferns packed Auckland side and went down 5-1. Football highlights she mentions include winning the Central League in 2016 (the very first time the club has done so), playing in the Australian Emergency Games for the New Zealand Police Team in 2016 and 2018, touring the USA with the New Zealand Institute of Sport Football Team.
Sandy loves football and not just playing, she has been involved with the Wellington United committee for about the last 10 years, many of those as Women's Club Captain and now Co-Club Captain. She especially enjoys seeing and helping the younger players coming through. She travelled as a chaperone to Michaela Robertson and Jayme-Lee Hunter when they went to train with our friends at Dutch club PEC Zwolle. This trip helped cement the relationship between Wellington United and PEC Zwolle. She is continuing to work on ensuring that there is a pathway for young players within the club and beyond, recently helping to set up the new Opals team in division one. "I love teaching the young ones my one trick, the Sandy back heel"... she might have a few more up her sleeve including a phenomenal left boot :) Sandy says that it has also been really special to see our Diamonds make the Kate Sheppard Cup semi final over the last two seasons and that she looks forward them to making that elusive final (hopefully) next year!
In a club of Diamonds, Sandy is a real gem and Wellington United are both honoured and privileged to have her as an integral part of the club and congratulate her on the outstanding achievement of 150 games.
Sandy got into, or tried to get into playing football at high school in the small Waikato town of Otorohanga. While it was unusual enough for football to be played at the high school in a rugby mad town, it was even more unusual for a female to want to play. The football coach, Ram Chetty, was supportive but Netball remained the priority during the winter months. There was however summer football where the whole town gathered for competitive social football, supported by the local businesses. This was to be Sandy's segway into football... once she overcame some initial opposition. Sandy's Mum's boss was one of the organisers of the summer football competition and told her Mum that Sandy wouldn't be able to play as she would get hurt. Sandy's Mum replied that she would tell her daughter this but supported Sandy when she responded that they couldn't stop her from playing just because she was a girl. After scoring a header in her first game, she quelled any doubts that the organisers had!
When Sandy left school she moved to Wellington to study Sports Management and Exercise Prescription. Looking for a club to play for, she used google and it came up with Wellington United. Team manager Anthony Mumby said "I was standing outside the old clubrooms and she came up to me and asked if she could play for us. We only had one team in Division 3 at the time; I told her to come to the next training but said I couldn't promise her game time. She turned up at the next training, kicked the ball and the rest was history!"
The Women's section at Wellington United grew over the next few years especially with the help of Melissa Gill and Laura Menzies and grew to four teams. After near successive promotions, the first team won Wellington Division One (now the Premier League) in 2009 and got promoted to the Women's Central League for 2010. It was a difficult inaugural season that cumulated with a last day do or die fixture against Lower Hutt City. Diamonds needed to win by four clear goals to stay up, which easier said than done when the team had only scored four goals all season! The Diamonds managed it though winning 4-0, with Sandy getting one of the goals. It's a game she regards as one her most memorable games and says it was a vitally important game as had they lost and been relegated it was quite likely that the team would have disbanded and Women's football at Wellington United would never be where it is today.
The following season the club employed Argentinian, Guillermo Schiltenwolf as coach for the Women's team and gave him the mandate to build a pathway for the women's side of the club. Guille was to become a significant part of Sandy's life, when after seeking the OK from the club chairman, they started dating. It is a successful partnership which saw them engaged in 2015 and then travel to Argentina in 2017 to get married :)
2009 also saw Sandy selected for the Capital Women's team in the National Women's League, they got all the way to the grand final but came up against a Football Ferns packed Auckland side and went down 5-1. Football highlights she mentions include winning the Central League in 2016 (the very first time the club has done so), playing in the Australian Emergency Games for the New Zealand Police Team in 2016 and 2018, touring the USA with the New Zealand Institute of Sport Football Team.
Sandy loves football and not just playing, she has been involved with the Wellington United committee for about the last 10 years, many of those as Women's Club Captain and now Co-Club Captain. She especially enjoys seeing and helping the younger players coming through. She travelled as a chaperone to Michaela Robertson and Jayme-Lee Hunter when they went to train with our friends at Dutch club PEC Zwolle. This trip helped cement the relationship between Wellington United and PEC Zwolle. She is continuing to work on ensuring that there is a pathway for young players within the club and beyond, recently helping to set up the new Opals team in division one. "I love teaching the young ones my one trick, the Sandy back heel"... she might have a few more up her sleeve including a phenomenal left boot :) Sandy says that it has also been really special to see our Diamonds make the Kate Sheppard Cup semi final over the last two seasons and that she looks forward them to making that elusive final (hopefully) next year!
In a club of Diamonds, Sandy is a real gem and Wellington United are both honoured and privileged to have her as an integral part of the club and congratulate her on the outstanding achievement of 150 games.
Sandy Cumpstone
150 Appearances, 22 goals (+)
HONOURS
Women's Central League | W-League 2016, 2018, 2019
Wellington Division One 2009
Kelly Cup 2018
REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS
Capital Football | National Women's League Finalist 2009
New Zealand Police Football Team | Australasian Emergency Games Finalists 2016 and 2018
150 Appearances, 22 goals (+)
HONOURS
Women's Central League | W-League 2016, 2018, 2019
Wellington Division One 2009
Kelly Cup 2018
REPRESENTATIVE HONOURS
Capital Football | National Women's League Finalist 2009
New Zealand Police Football Team | Australasian Emergency Games Finalists 2016 and 2018