OFC President David Chung and Auckland Council Community and Policy Planning manager Anaru Vercoe put pen to paper in a short ceremony as Orakei Local Board Chair Desley Simpson and board members Kit Parkinson and Troy Churton and OFC General Secretary Tai Nicholas watched on.
President Chung says the signing of this agreement marks a significant phase in the confederation’s plans to give football a stronger profile throughout the region.
“OFC, with support from FIFA and Auckland Council, are building an iconic regional facility which we hope will become a site for cultural and educational exchanges as well as football activities,” Chung says.
Vercoe says the council and the local board now have a clear vision of what will be undertaken on the reserve which is a positive step forward.
“I think that it’s an exciting horizon for council and looking at other ways to use reserves in partnership with commercial enterprises,” he says. “Perhaps this will stand as one of those frontier models that we can look at and consider for future partnerships with other council reserves.
The opportunity for OFC to develop a football facility at Ngahue Reserve was made possible through Auckland Council as the governing body, and also the Orakei Local Board whose time and effort in moving the project forward, as well as making the land available for OFC use, is immeasurable.
Orakei Local Board chair Desley Simpson says she is excited to be building something which will benefit children and young people in the Orakei area.
“This is a fantastic opportunity for not just our community, but the wider community as a whole,” Simpson says. “I would like to thank board members Kit Parkinson, Troy Churton and Colin Davis for all their hard work on this project.”
OFC plans to develop the Ngahue Reserve site in two phases, the first encompassing two international artificial pitches and changing rooms and the second phase including a building complex including OFC offices, sports clubs and a futsal facility.

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