Funny how things come full circle sometimes - who would expect that the game at Buckingham Palace arranged by English Football Association President Prince William to mark the 150th anniversary of the FA, would involve three Kiwis (two players and a coach).
Only fitting of course, when you remember a Kiwi played in the very first game of football under the new Association rules in 1864, the year after the FA was founded. That was the game that this week's one at the Palace commemorates really. (See post #2 above).
Former Canterbury United and Nelson Suburbs player Tommy Lancaster, Caversham player Nick Brandford and Wellington player Geoff Brown were glimpsed on the TV One 6pm News tonight playing at Buckingham Palace for Polytechnic FC v Civil Service FC in the game to mark the foundation of the Football Association in 1863. Polytech won 2-1. World Cup Final ref Howard Webb officiated. Michael Owen was in attendance.
"Polytechnic Football Club: who are the players?"Telegraph, UK:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/10359772/Polytechnic-Football-Club-who-are-the-players.htmlTom Lancaster
Lancaster, 25, was born in Sheffield but grew up in Nelson, New Zealand. He has played for Poly three seasons. The telecoms advisor says that his main problem is that he “does not like it that Joe was in the Sheffield Wednesday Academy and he was not.”
Nick Brandford
The 31-year-old from Napier, New Zealand, has been at the club for 6 years. Nicknamed “GQ” he is “considered best dressed man in the team” and works in the commercial property market to pay the bills.
Geoff Brown
The team’s coach, 31, from Wellington, New Zealand, has been at Poly for 8 seasons but had to hang up his boots due to a “dodgy hip”. For his day job he works in telecoms regulation.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/9256420/Look-out-for-grans-windows"A Nelson man was told by Prince William that it is all well and good to play soccer on the lawns at Buckingham Palace, but don't break a window."
Lancaster - the latest of 17 former New Zealand national league players to turn out for "Poly, as we're known" - said his team drew the lucky straw. "Civil Service FC were one of the founders of the FA back in 1863, so they were offered a home game at the palace by Prince William.
"We, Polytechnic FC, are in their league so, luckily, our league fixture corresponded, and we got to be involved."
Civil Service FC are the only surviving club from the 11 who formed the FA in 1863. Polytechnic FC were formed in 1875.
WILLIAM WARNS THEM: Tom Lancaster, bottom left, lines up with Prince William for the historic football match at Buckingham Palace.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/the-press/sport/9192471/Old-boy-to-play-at-Buckingham-Palace
Lancaster, who lived in Nelson before graduating from the University of Canterbury, said there had been "quite a bit of media attention".
World football governing body Fifa's Mundial television network was "coming down to do a bit of filming at our next training".
"No doubt we will be pretty nervous on the day with a few cameras there."
Lancaster was selected in New Zealand national league all-star teams before he left for his OE....and scored for Canterbury United in the 2010 NZFC Final.
He played "semi-pro" football for London non-league club Dulwich Hamlet, but they played "60-odd games a season" and he "couldn't keep up with all the midweek games while working fulltime".
... Polytechnic and Civil Service play in the southern amateur league's top division... "The level of football is decent, without being anything special, [it's> similar to Mainland, I guess," said Lancaster, who played in the Mainland Premier League with Nelson Suburbs and Woolston Technical.
"Although the Cashmere Tech team that just won the Chatham Cup would destroy us."
BBC News video as broadcast on TV One + article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-24423342
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Buckingham Palace has held its first official football match to mark the Football Association's 150th anniversary.
The competitive fixture was the idea of FA president the Duke of Cambridge.
London side Civil Service FC, the only surviving team of 11 that formed the FA on 26 October 1863, lost 2-1 against Polytechnic FC, set up in 1875.
Premier League referee Howard Webb, who officiated at the 2010 World Cup final match in South Africa, was in charge of the fixture.
Civil Service FC were selected to take part in the game and suggested that Polytechnic, who are also based in Chiswick, west London, would be fitting opponents.
Polytechnic FC manager Geoff Brown said: "We first played 120 years ago - so there's a fair bit of history between the two of us."
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