Senior soccer in Taupo began in 1956 with the formation
of Taupo United Association Football Club by an enthusiastic bunch of
locals. A team was entered in the Bay of Plenty competition but
struggled in that first season. With the introduction of the
international contractors to the Wairakei Power Project, the Club
increased in strength but there was too much weekend work on the
project to be able to field a regular team and the Club withdrew from
the Bay of Plenty competition midway through 1957.
History is hazy over the next few years but in the late 50’s and early
60’s Wairakei was the strongest team in the region. The Taupo Club
reformed in 1962 but just played in local competition with Wairakei and
a team fielded by the Waite Tileman construction company.
In 1963 and 1964 both Taupo and Wairakei returned to the Bay of Plenty
competition, but once again Taupo went into recess in 1965 and Wairakei
followed in 1966 – for the final time.
With the construction of the Central North Island hydro- electric power
projects, came the formation of the Central North Island League and the
Taupo Club returned to action in 1967 and joined this competition but
again failed to sustain a team and returned to recess in 1968.
The Taupo Club finally got some momentum going in 1969 and re-joined
the Central North Island competition. Despite a brief return to the Bay
of Plenty in 1970, the Club spent several successful seasons in the
Central North Island League and its successor the Tongariro League
It was in this competition that All White Peter Henry was introduced to
senior football, playing alongside his father Phil, for the Taupo team,
before going on to greater things.
The Taupo Association Football Club became officially incorporated in
mid 1973. In 1974, as the projects wound down, the competition became
weaker and the Taupo first team was accepted into the Bay of Plenty
Division One whilst their reserves remained in the Tongariro League,
playing such teams as the Hautu, Waikune and Rangipo prisons and the
excitable Italian tunnellers of Codelfa-Cogefar.
The first team remained in the Bay of Plenty competition until 1978
when it was accepted into the Northern League Division 4 (South). In
the same year, the Reserves moved into the Bay of Plenty competition,
where they have remained since.
Despite producing players of the calibre of All Whites Peter Henry and
Greg Little and National League stalwart Andy Darlington, all of whom
emerged through the junior ranks and into the senior side, the team
languished in Division 4 for a substantial period.
One bright spot during this period was 1984 when the Club vacated their
cramped clubroom and separate spartan changing rooms at the AC Reserve
and moved to their current home Crown Park, and a new clubroom complex
built by the Club.
It took Taupo until 1987 to win promotion for the first time and they
did it in style, winning every game except one, and that was drawn,
with a goal difference of 82 - 4. In the process they beat the second
placed team Melville from Hamilton 10 - nil away from home. This
remains the best record in the history of the Northern League and
should prove hard to beat, requiring a team to win every game of their
campaign to better it.
A successful first year in Division 3 saw Taupo finish 5th after
threatening the leaders for most of the season, but the loss of no
fewer than eleven players from the squad of fourteen for the following
season saw Taupo suffer relegation to Division 4 in 1989. The slide
continued in 1990 with the team dropping back into the Bay of Plenty
competition after losing in the Northern League playoffs.
Fortunes reversed after just one season back in the Bay of Plenty
competition and the team were accepted back into Division 4 of the
Northern League for the 1992 season, and promptly won it losing only
once in the process. The team won the trophy for the best goal
difference for the second time (after 1987) scoring 59 and conceding 13
in 18 games. While the first team were enjoying their season the
Reserves also performed with distinction, winning the Bay of Plenty
Championship for the first time.
The Northern League team finished in third place in Division 3,
just out of a promotion spot in 1993 and in mid table in 1994 before
another mass exodus of players exposed the lack of depth in the Club
and the decision was made to withdraw back into the Bay of Plenty
competition.
The Club remained in the Bay of Plenty for three seasons as it rebuilt
before applying once again to enter the Northern League. Over the same
period the majority of the clubs based in the Bay of Plenty region had
also dropped out of the Northern League and a number of Auckland clubs
amalgamated, meaning that an enlarged 3rd Division was now the entry
point for Taupo and the launching pad for an incredible couple of
seasons.
Entering again in 1998, Taupo went through the 26 match campaign
unbeaten, scoring a record 178 goals while conceding only 25. The team
followed up the runaway Division 3 championship with a similarly
emphatic display in winning Division 2 in 1999. The team lost only once
in 22 games scored 114 goals and conceded only 17 to win the best goal
difference trophy (the Mackley Rosebowl) two years in succession, and
for the fourth time overall, and gain promotion to Division 1 of the
Northern League.
The 2000 season in Division 1 proved to be a challenging one for a
young team under the leadership of newly appointed coach Alan Lamb.
However after struggling near the foot of the table for the majority of
the first half of the season, improvement in fortune towards the end
saw the team retain their first Division status. In 2001, the team
performed consistently throughout the season to finish in sixth place -
exactly in mid-table. This was to prove to be the highest that the Club
would ever attain in the Northern League as another mass exodus of its
young players to all points on the globe meant that Taupo withdrew back
to the Bay of Plenty competition for the final time.
After finishing the first season back in the local competition in
mid-table, the Club resumed the re-building process. The influential
Lamb once again resumed the reins and guided the side to runners-up
spot in the Bay competition in 2003. The top Bay of Plenty teams then
joined with the leading Waikato teams in the first Federation 3 League
competition in 2004 and Taupo comfortably won the crown in its
inaugural season. The Club repeated the success in 2005 before a change
in format saw the clubs return to their respective local competitions
for 2006 with a playoff for the Federation 3 title.
2006 was an important season for Taupo in more ways than one as it was
the fiftieth year since soccer first commenced in the town. Although
the actual celebrations were held over until February 2007, the Club
ensured that it would be a truly memorable year by comfortably winning
the Bay of Plenty title (the Gloucester Cup). They followed this by
winning the Federation title in dramatic circumstances on the final day
of the season. A five goals to nil win at Te Awamutu denying Matamata
the crown on goal difference to capture the Caper Cup.
Following the successful 50 year reunion celebrated pre-season, the
Federation Title was won again in 2007 season but this time the team
went through unbeaten winning 18 and drawing two of the twenty games.
This ensured that in the four seasons that the Federation competition
has been going Finn MacCuhal’s Taupo is the only name on the trophy.
Taupo continues to be one of the fastest growing provincial towns in
New Zealand and the future of the Club is more than secure. Football is
in fact the most successful fully integrated team sport in the town
with a base of close to 500 junior players and the Club continues to go
from strength to strength. This year the Club is fielding a Womens team
in Federation competition, two Youth boys and one Youth girls team plus
the Reserve team in Bay of Plenty competition and a Sunday Social team
in Rotorua competition. Earlier in the year the Club’s over-35 team won
the gold medal in the NZ masters games in Dunedin.
The wide range of teams and the holiday atmosphere of the town and its
surrounds makes Taupo a very popular destination for teams of all ages
both pre- and post-season.
