A champion team

Auckland-City-Football-Club-Logo1
Players on Akhamb Island wearing their Auckland City uniforms
Football match at Lamap, Malekula
OFC Champions for 11th time in Port Vila

Auckland City Football Club has been supporting the Butterfly Trust since 2012. Over the years it has run raffles, made donations, and donated football gear for Vanuatu. For the club, this is one way of giving back to the Pacific Islands whose teams and players enrich Oceania football competition. 

On 7 February 2021, Auckland City marked the 10th year of its support for the Trust by helping the Trust raise funds at its top-of-the-table clash against Team Wellington, a match that also doubled as competition for the Charity Cup.

The Trust, accompanied by the Vanuatu Consul-General in Auckland, McKenzie Kalotiti, took the opportunity to present Auckland City Chairman, Ivan Vuksich, with a certificate of thanks and a hand-woven basket from the Maskelyne Islands.

On 27 May 2023, Auckland City won the OFC Champions League Final for the eleventh time at Freshwater Stadium in Port Vila.

Auckland City is a family and community-oriented club and these values fit in well with the work that the Trust is doing in Vanuatu, as well as the values of the wider Pacific community. Football is also a means by which the Trust can engage with communities when discussing healthy lifestyles.

The Trust is very grateful for everything Auckland City has done for it over the years. It is humbling to have the support of such a successful sports team.

Football is a popular game throughout Vanuatu although players of all ages often risk injury every time they kick a ball. Pitches can be ridden with crab holes and players often have to dodge chickens crossing their paths. Proper football kit can be scarce. All gifts of equipment from Auckland City have been very well received by a number of villages and schools in Vanuatu.

 

Two trustees of the Trust, accompanied by the Vanuatu Consul-General in Auckland, McKenzie Kalotiti, (c), presenting Auckland City Chairman, Ivan Vuksich, (r), with a certificate of thanks and a hand-woven basket from the Maskelyne Islands