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Kate Sheppard Cup 2025

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Posted July 06, 2025 03:21 · last edited July 06, 2025 03:39

The JourneyFan
Simon B
4-1 and we’re off to the semis!

Official results credit Poppy O’Brien with our second, followed by Amber de Wit and Lily Brazendale.
Aye, well done the team with the professionals, and the players that train 5 times a week that aren't proper pros yet win against another amateur team - NZF really do nothing for the credibility of their own competition by allowing professionals to compete against amateurs.

Oh and also congrats to Wellington Phoenix I believe they have won the Kelly Cup this season as rather than have an actually separate cup competition (or just not play it this season) it was decided recently that the wellington team that went the furthest in the Kate Sheppard Cup would win that trophy. 

Given its NZ's oldest Women's trophy (52 years) it's a real shame it seems to have been relegated to an aside trophy.


Do the Ressies and out-of-contract first team players really get that much more training and opportunity than players at other clubs? That's a genuine question, not just being argumentative - I would've thought they have to fit training around work/study just like other players but I don't know much about how the academy works.

Even if playing for the Phoenix did give them an unfair advantage (and I feel like AUFC proves otherwise), what would balance things out? Options that come to mind are:
  • Change NZF's rule for amateur registration to require more than the current 30 days since last pro game - this seems like a blunt instrument since for example it would affect Abbott's availability to play for Karori in the WCL.
  • Change the rule specifically for this competition - begs the question of why it's ok in other contexts but not here.
  • Do what Capital Football have done in the WCL regulations and include an age restriction specifically for the Phoenix, which has the effect of (mostly) excluding out-of-contract pros without impacting other clubs in other competitions.
If this is actually a problem that needs fixing then the last option causes the least collateral damage, and it could be written to apply to Auckland's eventual ALW team or any other club that gets into a future women's OFCPL.

(As an aside, how does this work for the Weenix lads who've had A-league contracts but mostly play in the Reserves in the Central League? Are they on short-term contracts like the ALW players that allow them to re-register as amateurs in the off-season? That would lead to the Phoenix being required to pay their own academy training compensation when these guys go back on pro contracts, but who knows, maybe that's an important part of keeping the academy viable?)

I didn't know anything about the Kelly Cup before reading up on it this morning, but yeah it does seem a pity to downgrade it. Looking at past results the Phoenix have never won it - is that because they were never eligible under the old rules, or did the academy teams always get knocked out?

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Unknown editor edited July 06, 2025 03:39
The JourneyFan
Simon B
4-1 and we’re off to the semis!

Official results credit Poppy O’Brien with our second, followed by Amber de Wit and Lily Brazendale.
Aye, well done the team with the professionals, and the players that train 5 times a week that aren't proper pros yet win against another amateur team - NZF really do nothing for the credibility of their own competition by allowing professionals to compete against amateurs.

Oh and also congrats to Wellington Phoenix I believe they have won the Kelly Cup this season as rather than have an actually separate cup competition (or just not play it this season) it was decided recently that the wellington team that went the furthest in the Kate Sheppard Cup would win that trophy. 

Given its NZ's oldest Women's trophy (52 years) it's a real shame it seems to have been relegated to an aside trophy.


Do the Ressies and out-of-contract first team players really get that much more training and opportunity than players at other clubs? That's a genuine question, not just being argumentative - I would've thought they have to fit training around work/study just like other players but I don't know much about how the academy works.

Even if playing for the Phoenix did give them an unfair advantage (and I feel like AUFC prove otherwise), what would balance things out? Options that come to mind are:
  • Change NZF's rule for amateur registration to require more than the current 30 days since last pro game - this seems like a blunt instrument since for example it would affect Abbott's availability to play for Karori in the WCL.
  • Change the rule specifically for this competition - begs the question of why it's ok in other contexts but not here.
  • Do what Capital Football have done in the WCL regulations and include an age restriction specifically for the Phoenix, which has the effect of (mostly) excluding out-of-contract pros without impacting other clubs in other competitions.
If this is actually a problem that needs fixing then the last option causes the least collateral damage, and it could be written to apply to Auckland's eventual ALW team or any other club that gets into a future women's OFCPL.

(As an aside, how does this work for the Weenix lads who've had A-league contracts but mostly play in the Reserves in the Central League? Are they on short-term contracts like the ALW players that allow them to re-register as amateurs in the off-season? That would lead to the Phoenix being required to pay their own academy training compensation when these guys go back on pro contracts, but who knows, maybe that's an important part of keeping the academy viable?)

I didn't know anything about the Kelly Cup before reading up on it this morning, but yeah it does seem a pity to downgrade it. Looking at past results the Phoenix have never won it - is that because they were never eligible under the old rules, or did the academy teams always get knocked out?
Unknown editor edited July 06, 2025 03:39
The JourneyFan
Simon B
4-1 and we’re off to the semis!

Official results credit Poppy O’Brien with our second, followed by Amber de Wit and Lily Brazendale.
Aye, well done the team with the professionals, and the players that train 5 times a week that aren't proper pros yet win against another amateur team - NZF really do nothing for the credibility of their own competition by allowing professionals to compete against amateurs.

Oh and also congrats to Wellington Phoenix I believe they have won the Kelly Cup this season as rather than have an actually separate cup competition (or just not play it this season) it was decided recently that the wellington team that went the furthest in the Kate Sheppard Cup would win that trophy. 

Given its NZ's oldest Women's trophy (52 years) it's a real shame it seems to have been relegated to an aside trophy.


Do the Ressies and out-of-contract first team players really get that much more training and opportunity than players at other clubs? That's a genuine question, not just being argumentative - I would've thought they have to fit training around work/study just like other players but I don't know much about how the academy works.

Even if playing for the Phoenix did give them an unfair advantage (and I feel like AUFC prove otherwise), what would balance things out? Options that come to mind are:
  • Change NZF's rule for amateur registration to require more than the current 30 days since last pro game - this seems like a blunt instrument since for example it would affect Abbott's availability to play for Karori in the WCL.
  • Change the rule specifically for this competition - begs the question of why it's ok in other contexts but not here.
  • Do what Capital Football have done in the WCL regulations and include an age restriction specifically for the Phoenix, which has the effect of (mostly) excluding out-of-contract pros without impacting other clubs in other competitions.
If this is actually a problem that needs fixing then the last option causes the least collateral damage, and it could be written to apply to Auckland's eventual ALW team or any other club that gets into a future women's OFCPL.

(As an aside, how does this work for the Weenix lads who've had A-league contracts but mostly play in the Reserves in the Central League? Are they on short-term contracts like the ALW players that allow them to re-register as amateurs in the off-season? That would lead to the Phoenix being required to pay their own academy training compensation when these guys go back on pro contracts, but who knows, maybe that's an important part of keeping the academy viable.)

I didn't know anything about the Kelly Cup before reading up on it this morning, but yeah it does seem a pity to downgrade it. Looking at past results the Phoenix have never won it - is that because they were never eligible under the old rules, or did the academy teams always get knocked out?
Unknown editor edited July 06, 2025 03:38
The JourneyFan
Simon B
4-1 and we’re off to the semis!

Official results credit Poppy O’Brien with our second, followed by Amber de Wit and Lily Brazendale.
Aye, well done the team with the professionals, and the players that train 5 times a week that aren't proper pros yet win against another amateur team - NZF really do nothing for the credibility of their own competition by allowing professionals to compete against amateurs.

Oh and also congrats to Wellington Phoenix I believe they have won the Kelly Cup this season as rather than have an actually separate cup competition (or just not play it this season) it was decided recently that the wellington team that went the furthest in the Kate Sheppard Cup would win that trophy. 

Given its NZ's oldest Women's trophy (52 years) it's a real shame it seems to have been relegated to an aside trophy.


Do the Ressies and out-of-contract first team players really get that much more training and opportunity than players at other clubs? That's a genuine question, not just being argumentative - I would've thought they have to fit training around work/study just like other players but I don't know much about how the academy works.

Even if playing for the Phoenix did give them an unfair advantage (and I feel like AUFC prove otherwise), what would balance things out? Options that come to mind are:
  • Change NZF's rule for amateur registration to require more than the current 30 days since last pro game - this seems like a blunt instrument since for example it would affect Abbott's availability to play for Karori in the WCL.
  • Change the rule specifically for this competition - begs the question of why it's ok in other contexts but not here.
  • Do what Capital Football have done in the WCL regulations and include an age restriction specifically for the Phoenix, which has the effect of (mostly) excluding out-of-contract pros without impacting other clubs in other competitions.
If this is actually a problem that needs fixing then the last option causes the least collateral damage, and it could be written to apply to Auckland's eventual ALW team or any other club that gets into the OFCPL.

(As an aside, how does this work for the Weenix lads who've had A-league contracts but mostly play in the Reserves in the Central League? Are they on short-term contracts like the ALW players that allow them to re-register as amateurs in the off-season? That would lead to the Phoenix being required to pay their own academy training compensation when these guys go back on pro contracts, but who knows, maybe that's an important part of keeping the academy viable.)

I didn't know anything about the Kelly Cup before reading up on it this morning, but yeah it does seem a pity to downgrade it. Looking at past results the Phoenix have never won it - is that because they were never eligible under the old rules, or did the academy teams always get knocked out?