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FOF All Stars
 Back row: Marlies James (Manager), Corina Brown, Jasmine Pereira, Bridgette Armstrong, Rosie White, Melissa Ray, Caitlin Campbell,
Emily Jensen, Hannah Hoeksema, Sivitha Boyce, Martine Puketapu (Trainer)
Front row: Tess Murphy, Kirsty Yallop, Katie Duncan (Coach), Maia Jackman, Chloe Knott, Pip Meo, Rachel Head
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 FRIENDS OF FOOTBALL
ALL STARS
While the Football Ferns will be in action against the Matildas this Friday night in Townsville, and again the following Tuesday evening in Canberra, a number of their silver fern-wearing predecessors were in action on Friday evening at Keith Hay Park, as a new initiative was launched by the local supporters' organisation, Friends of Football.
Way back in 1977, Ken Armstrong, who coached the Football Ferns two years later, launched an initiative which went by the name of the Corinthians. It was basically a means of allowing past stars to relive their glory years by playing exhibition matches alongside former team-mates and opponents against school teams, and off and on over the last 45 years, it's proven to be an enjoyable and worthwhile exercise all round.
Now that the women's game boasts a number of stars of recent vintage, Friends of Football - largely via the drive of secretary Cathleen Bias and former Football Ferns team manager Claire Hamilton - have introduced the FOF All Stars women's team, allowing senior and age-grade national representatives of recent vintage to, amongst other things, roll back the years and give us glimpses of their footballing prowess.
So it was that the Mt Albert Grammar School women's squad, only six of whom had played first eleven football previously, found themselves facing an All Stars team consisting of Corina Brown in goal, a back four of Caitlin Campbell, Maia Jackman, Bridgette Armstrong and Melissa Ray, a midfield trio of Katie Duncan, Kirsty Yallop and Chloe Knott, and a frontline comprising Pip Meo, Rosie White and Jasmine Pereira.
Those who didn't make the starting eleven were no dunces either. Step forward Tess Murphy, Rachel Head, Emily Jensen, Hannah Hoeksema and Sivitha Boyce, while Martine Puketapu and Marlies Oostdam, though present, were both late withdrawals due to injury.
When one adds up the appearances these eighteen players have made at senior, age grade and secondary schools levels, you're probably looking at around the 850 mark, all told - not to be sniffed at!
Needless to say, with that experience comes a degree of professionalism, an element of personal pride in performance, a refusal to lower one's standards. In other words, the All Stars had no intention of being shown up by their younger opponents. And it wasn't too long before they were giving their young rivals the best training session the MAGS team is likely to experience this season!
The final score - 8-1 - mattered little. It was the sight of these stars of our recent past relishing the chance to strut their stuff on their stage once again, and reminding those present of their footballing prowess, which was arguably the most enjoyable aspect of the evening, although some will argue that the post-match banter and rekindling of friendships was every bit as memorable!
The biggest cheer of the night belonged to MAGS' scorer, Sharon Tomokino, whose beautifully placed free-kick left Brown clutching at air, while Pereira's thumping hat-trick reminded us all of what might have been ...
Yallop bagged a brace of goals, while Jensen, Brown - goalkeeper turned goal-poacher - and Meo - at the death after several attempts throughout proceedings - also led the goal celebrations on a night when, as the curtain came down on a month of celebrating girls and women's football in Aotearoa, an old cliché rang true. "Football was the winner".
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