⚽️ Dunedin Footballers Excel in Melbourne Tournament!

At the end of October, seven talented young Dunedin City Royal football players, including Year 8 lads Ally Holland, Rhys Shirley, Dylan McCosh, Taylor Martin (ex-Tahuna), Harvey Pardecooper (ex-Tahuna), and Luka Stewart (ex-Tahuna), travelled to Melbourne for six days to compete in the prestigious Shepparton Cup.

These boys were the only players selected from the South Island and were chosen by NZ football legend Ricki Herbert to play under his RH3 Academy banner, joining 50 players from the North Island.

After meeting their U13 team-mates, visiting the Melbourne City Football Club, and completing a busy schedule of training and practice games, the boys arrived in Shepparton ready for the tournament.

Their initial pool play saw them achieve a win, a loss, and a draw, successfully securing a spot in the quarter-finals. Showing great determination, the team battled hard, earning a hard-fought 1-0 victory in the semi-finals.

The final match was an exciting clash against another strong RH3 team from the North Island. In a tense game, the Dunedin contingent and their team-mates secured an awesome 1-0 win, with Rhys Shirley scoring the decisive goal!

What an incredible achievement it was to see these boys travel all that way and win the U13 Liga division!

Huge congratulations to Ally, Rhys, Dylan, Taylor, Harvey, Luka, and the rest of the RH3 Academy team on this outstanding success. They have done their club and their city proud.