Ferrymead Bays
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| Full name | Ferrymead Bays Football Club |
|---|---|
| Nickname(s) | The Bays |
| Founded | 1972 |
| Ground | Barnett Park, Redcliffs, Christchurch |
| Capacity | 1000 |
| Manager |
 Danny Halligan
|
| League | Robbie's Premier Football League |
| 2014 | Robbie's Premier Football League, 3rd |
| Website | Club home page |
Ferrymead Bays is a semi-professional association football club based in Christchurch, New Zealand. They compete in the Mainland Premier League and they have won the league title on four occasions. Ferrymead Bays play their home games at Barnett Park in Redcliffs, Christchurch.
The club's traditional kit colours are navy blue and white shirts, navy blue shorts and navy blue socks. Their club crest takes elements of the local suburbs and bays, featuring a football on waves. The club’s main rival is Cashmere Technical due to the club's close proximity and other recent rivals include Coastal Spirit.
The club nickname is "The Bays", a reference to the club's several bays and coastal landmarks around that part of the city the club is located. The club crest first featured "Ferrymead Bays Soccer" around the ball and changed to "Ferrymead Bays Football" due to the modern reference to game's name.
The Club was formed in 1972 by a group of six enthusiasts. By 1986 the Club typically entered 8 to 10 teams in the Canterbury Junior Football Assn Competitions, compared to the 37 teams we now have plus about 100 children in the beginners group.
Prior to 1997, the "A" teams in each grade normally played in Section 2 and often would win that section. However, it was rare for the "A" teams to stay in Section 1. This has changed after 1997 and a number of "A" teams have played in Section 1 for extended periods.
The increase in playing numbers and competitiveness has been due mostly to the continued housing development in the area and the introduction of the beginners group in 1990. Developing the football skills at an early age appears to have had flow-on benefits both in terms of playing numbers and competitiveness.
The Club has had the use of one senior pitch at Barnett Park from the outset. The junior pitches at Redcliffs Park and McCormacks Bay ten years ago left a lot to be desired – they were uneven with ponds! The City Council has made dramatic improvements to McCormacks Bay Park over recent years and we are grateful for this work.
Hockey used to have two pitches at Barnett Park but these were used less as more hockey games were played on artificial surfaces at Porritt Park. With the expansion in soccer teams, there was a need for more home grounds and the CCC agreed we could have full use of Barnett Park which now has two senior, two junior and one intermediate pitches. The consolidation at Barnett Park was helped by installing the practice lights in 1996 which have been a great asset.
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