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ROSLYN WAKARI A.F.C.
A Brief History
The clubs history can be tracked back to 1888 when the Wakari Football Association first played in the local Dunedin league. This was only 44 years after the foundation of Dunedin. The Wakari AFC consisted of 14 members with 11 or 12 playing members. The first committee included Sir Robert Stout (Premier of NZ 1884 – 1897) as its President. The club obtained a farmers paddock and a ditch was dug as the perimeter for the pitch, outside the ditch the ball was out. In 1890 the Wakari AFC changed its name to Roslyn AFC. In 1895 the Roslyn AFC split into two clubs with the second becoming Wakari AFC. The next ten years saw friendly rivalry between the two clubs as they competed for the “Otago Banner”. In 1904 the two clubs amalgamated to become Roslyn Wakari AFC. The club went into recess from 1915 until 1929 when they re-entered the Otago Football Association competition.
The home ground for the club is Ellis Park in Kaikorai Valley. From 1897 the clubs home ground was the Asylum Ground (now Littlebourne) on the south side of Stuart Street. The ground was levelled and drained by the inmates from the Dunedin Asylum. In 1912 the ground was allocated jointly to the Boys High School and the Football Association and in the following year the Roslyn Wakari Football Club was permitted to build a pavilion (which didn't go ahead due to the outbreak of WW1).
Roslyn Wakari AFC shifted its activities to Ellis Park when it was opened in 1929. Ellis Park was developed from an old tip site and includes the area once used as an open-air swimming pool. The swimming pool closed in 1950 and this area is now the training ground above the present clubrooms.
In 1949 a "new" 2 storey clubhouse was developed incorporating the old stables that had housed the horses that pulled carts when building the grounds. The Club adopted the horses head as it's new logo in recognition of this connection. Some of the wood used in modifying the new Clubrooms came from the demolition of the old swimming pool.
The construction of the existing clubrooms, consisting of the lounge and the gymnasium was completed in 1971. The changing sheds and committee room were added soon after. Once the move to the "newest" clubrooms had been made, the old clubrooms were put to use by the Roslyn Fire Brigade. The exercise went well.
At the conclusion of the 2009 season the Club began a major refit of the Lounge, kitchen and bar facilities. It is the first full renovation since the move from the Stables and completion of this project, along with the upgrade of No 3 pitch, will compliment Roslyn Wakari's 125th anniversary celebrations in 2013.
Chronological History:
1888 Wakari Football Association formed.
1890 Changed name to Roslyn Association Football Club
1895 Club split into 2 clubs - Roslyn AFC and Wakari AFC
1904 The 2 clubs amalgamated into Roslyn Wakari AFC
1915 to 1929 Club goes into recess. (WWI)
1929 Club re-enters competition and moves to the newly opened Ellis Park.
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