History

PAPANUI REDWOOD AFC - The Friendly Club

Our Club From 1974

As season follows season, suddenly a period of years has passed and you realise that many of the members no nothing about where or how the club began. This may not bother some but others like myself take pride in being associated with and helping in some small way towards helping the club grow and become known. To all those everyday people just like you and me, who over the years have been involved - THIS IS OUR STORY!  

The Club was established December 1974 originally as a section of the Papanui Working Men's Club and catered over the years for both senior and junior players. We still have senior players that also played in the junior section of that time. We not only have players that can claim association with the early years, but two of our life members, Ernie Pilkington and Frank Carville were members of the original committee of 1974. A few years later Wally Mills also found himself on the committee.  

The year 1982 found the full Committe resigning from the section and gain permission from the football association to continue without loss of status as a club. That committee and players started the 1983 section as Papanui AFC.  

The Council granted us the use of a newly founded Park - Owen Mitchell - as our home ground in time for the 1985 season. For closer relations with the area the Redwood was added to our title becoming Papanui-Redwood AFC. Hopes were high. Plans were formulated to build clubrooms and establish both senior and junior grounds. Objections were raised against clubrooms. Planting of native trees and bushes has reduced playing areas and the park has been redesignated as a passive leisure area. We applied for use of Englefield Reserve in Belfast for similar use. Objections once more stopped building of clubrooms but soccer will gain a field within five years. The search is on-going for more suitable grounds in the area. We currently have Owen Mitchell, St James Park and Redwood Park.

 Over the years Canterbury honours have been gained by five of our boys and congratulations to Wally Mills for his success as being a member of the Junior Football Association since 1979. Wally has been selected as either coach or manager of a representative team every year since then. Wally is still involved with our First Kicks programme.

After a period that saw our numbers reduce, we are growing again and have around 250 registered players, building towards our objective of around 350 members and hundreds of family and friends who week in and week out come along and support the teams all over the city.

2004 Community Service Award

Wally Mills has been involved with Papanui Redwood AFC since it began in 1979, Since the 1990's he has been involved in the Midgets (First Kicks) section of the club, giving his valuable time to the youngest players in the club, leading and organising their activities on a Saturday Morning.

Wally works tirelessly in the community and is also involved with coaching footbal at St Joseph's Primary School, where he reguarly takes his dogs for the children to gain confidence and learn correct treatment of these animals.

Wally was Coach and Manager of Canterbury's Under 13's for 6 years and Tour Manager to Tasmania involving over 160 boys. All  long a faithfully member of the Papanui Redwood Association Football Club where he is a Life Member.

2007 Community Service Award

Steve Charles received his Community Service Award at a presentation on the 18th June for his contribution to our club. The award is in recognition of the time and effort he has given Papanui Redwood over the years. He joined the committee in 1993 and he is now the current Equipment Manager.

Steve is known as the Sausage King as he has spends every Saturday morning behind the barbecue cooking sausages, (Just ask him for onions). Without people with the passion Steve has for the club we would not be the successful club that we are.

Congratulations Steve!