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Straits Times
17 hours ago
- Business
- Straits Times
Auckland City's amateurs take unpaid leave for Club World Cup adventure
Auckland City's Angus Kilkolly has a day job in sales while playing for the club as well. PHOTO: AFP HONG KONG – The revamped Club World Cup starting on June 14 brings together some of the most celebrated teams and players in global football. And Auckland City. In a tournament boasting US$1 billion in prize money and featuring superstar multi-millionaire players including Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, the New Zealand side are a striking anomaly. Auckland City are an amateur club, their players balancing football with university studies or full-time jobs as teachers, real estate agents and sales reps. They don't earn a salary for playing. Their first game at the Club World Cup in the United States brings them face-to-face with German champions Bayern Munich and their prolific England striker Harry Kane. Benfica and Boca Juniors, two other storied heavyweights, come next. Auckland City striker Angus Kilkolly cannot wait. 'It's probably our dream group,' he said as he made his way to training from his day job in sales. 'For us to be able to experience playing against those teams is a dream for us. To be actually on the same pitch is a little bit crazy.' The 13-time Oceania Champions League winners have been an almost constant presence at the Club World Cup since 2006. But the tournament this time is a different beast after FIFA pumped in huge resources and made it a 32-team competition that includes Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Inter Milan. Kilkolly describes Auckland City as 'a family club where everyone's welcome, you know everyone, you see the same people at every game'. Their picturesque Kiwitea Street ground is nestled in a residential area in New Zealand's biggest city and matches typically take place in front of crowds of between 200 and 2,000. 'We've got a nice boutique club room and everybody enjoys a drink after the game,' said the 29-year-old, who averages a goal every other game in his nearly 140 appearances for the club. Auckland City are currently second in the amateur 12-team Northern League. So against the highest level of opposition they have ever faced, what would represent success against Bayern and the rest? 'If we can leave there and say, 'We played our style, we've done our best', I think that's a positive outlook,' added Kilkolly. 'If we leave there with regrets, going 'We didn't do all we could', that would be a sour feeling.' He says the team will stick to the club's 'DNA' of attractive possession-based football and playing out from the back. Kilkolly's typical week day is a busy one and he has not taken a proper holiday for three or four years because football eats up all his leave days. A manager in sales for a power tools firm, he is in the office at 7.30am, does a day's work, trains three or four times a week, home by 9pm, off to bed, repeat. He does not receive a wage for playing football. Rather, there is a cap of 150 New Zealand dollars a week for amateur footballers in the country covering basic expenses such as gym membership. The Auckland City players will be in the United States for nearly a month – thankfully Kilkolly's boss is understanding and likes football. 'It's not easy, it's four weeks' leave, but I don't have four weeks' annual leave so there's unpaid leave going there,' Kilkolly said. 'But it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Playing at the World Cup gives us the ability to compete on a world stage and have that feeling of being a professional footballer, without being one.' AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
France 24
18 hours ago
- Sport
- France 24
Auckland City's amateurs take unpaid leave for Club World Cup adventure
In a tournament boasting $1 billion in prize money and featuring superstar multi-millionaire players including Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, the New Zealand side are a striking anomaly. Auckland City are an amateur club, their players balancing football with university studies or full-time jobs as teachers, real estate agents and sales reps. They don't earn a salary for playing. Their first game at the Club World Cup in the United States brings them face-to-face with German champions Bayern Munich and their prolific England striker Harry Kane. Benfica and Boca Juniors, two other storied heavyweights, come next. Auckland City striker Angus Kilkolly cannot wait. "It's probably our dream group," he told AFP by telephone as he made his way to training from his day job in sales. "For us to be able to experience playing against those teams is a dream for us. To be actually on the same pitch is a little bit crazy." The 13-time Oceania Champions League winners have been an almost constant presence at the Club World Cup since 2006. The Navy Blues finished third of seven sides at the 2014 edition, beaten by Argentina's San Lorenzo in extra time in the semi-finals. The tournament this time is a different beast after FIFA pumped in huge resources and made it a 32-team competition that includes Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Inter Milan. After-game drinks Kilkolly describes Auckland City as "a family club where everyone's welcome, you know everyone, you see the same people at every game". Their picturesque Kiwitea Street ground is nestled in a residential area in New Zealand's biggest city and matches typically take place in front of crowds of between 200 and 2,000, Kilkolly said. "We've got a nice boutique club room and everybody enjoys a drink after the game," said the 29-year-old, who averages a goal every other game in his nearly 140 appearances for the club. Auckland City are currently second, a point behind leaders Birkenhead United AFC in the amateur 12-team Northern League. So against the highest level of opposition they have ever faced, what would represent success against Bayern and the rest? "If we can leave there and say, 'we played our style, we've done our best', I think that's a positive outlook," said Kilkolly. "If we leave there with regrets, going 'we didn't do all we could', that would be a sour feeling." He says the team will stick to the club's "DNA" of attractive possession-based football and playing out from the back. "We don't concede a lot of goals in New Zealand so obviously we're aiming not to concede too many goals at the Club World Cup as well," he said. Unpaid leave Kilkolly's typical week day is a busy one and he has not taken a proper holiday for three or four years because football eats up all his leave days. A manager in sales for a power tools firm, he is in the office at 7:30 am, does a day's work, trains three or four times a week, home by 9:00 pm, off to bed, repeat. He does not receive a wage for playing football. Rather, there is a cap of 150 New Zealand dollars (US$90) a week for amateur footballers in the country covering basic expenses such as gym membership. The Auckland City players will be in the United States for nearly a month -- thankfully Kilkolly's boss is understanding and likes football. "It's not easy, it's four weeks' leave, but I don't have four weeks' annual leave so there's unpaid leave going there," Kilkolly said. "But it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Playing at the World Cup gives us the ability to compete on a world stage and have that feeling of being a professional footballer, without being one." As a forward, Kilkolly will have eyes on Kane's number nine jersey after their game at the 26,000-capacity TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. "I think he earns more in a week than I earn in a year working," he said with a laugh.
Yahoo
19 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Auckland City's amateurs take unpaid leave for Club World Cup adventure
Auckland City (in blue) in domestic action in New Zealand (DAVID ROWLAND) The revamped Club World Cup starting on Saturday brings together some of the most celebrated teams and players in global football. And Auckland City. In a tournament boasting $1 billion in prize money and featuring superstar multi-millionaire players including Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, the New Zealand side are a striking anomaly. Advertisement Auckland City are an amateur club, their players balancing football with university studies or full-time jobs as teachers, real estate agents and sales reps. They don't earn a salary for playing. Their first game at the Club World Cup in the United States brings them face-to-face with German champions Bayern Munich and their prolific England striker Harry Kane. Benfica and Boca Juniors, two other storied heavyweights, come next. Auckland City striker Angus Kilkolly cannot wait. "It's probably our dream group," he told AFP by telephone as he made his way to training from his day job in sales. Advertisement "For us to be able to experience playing against those teams is a dream for us. To be actually on the same pitch is a little bit crazy." The 13-time Oceania Champions League winners have been an almost constant presence at the Club World Cup since 2006. The Navy Blues finished third of seven sides at the 2014 edition, beaten by Argentina's San Lorenzo in extra time in the semi-finals. The tournament this time is a different beast after FIFA pumped in huge resources and made it a 32-team competition that includes Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Inter Milan. - After-game drinks - Advertisement Kilkolly describes Auckland City as "a family club where everyone's welcome, you know everyone, you see the same people at every game". Their picturesque Kiwitea Street ground is nestled in a residential area in New Zealand's biggest city and matches typically take place in front of crowds of between 200 and 2,000, Kilkolly said. "We've got a nice boutique club room and everybody enjoys a drink after the game," said the 29-year-old, who averages a goal every other game in his nearly 140 appearances for the club. Auckland City are currently second, a point behind leaders Birkenhead United AFC in the amateur 12-team Northern League. Advertisement So against the highest level of opposition they have ever faced, what would represent success against Bayern and the rest? "If we can leave there and say, 'we played our style, we've done our best', I think that's a positive outlook," said Kilkolly. "If we leave there with regrets, going 'we didn't do all we could', that would be a sour feeling." He says the team will stick to the club's "DNA" of attractive possession-based football and playing out from the back. "We don't concede a lot of goals in New Zealand so obviously we're aiming not to concede too many goals at the Club World Cup as well," he said. Advertisement - Unpaid leave - Kilkolly's typical week day is a busy one and he has not taken a proper holiday for three or four years because football eats up all his leave days. A manager in sales for a power tools firm, he is in the office at 7:30 am, does a day's work, trains three or four times a week, home by 9:00 pm, off to bed, repeat. He does not receive a wage for playing football. Rather, there is a cap of 150 New Zealand dollars (US$90) a week for amateur footballers in the country covering basic expenses such as gym membership. The Auckland City players will be in the United States for nearly a month -- thankfully Kilkolly's boss is understanding and likes football. Advertisement "It's not easy, it's four weeks' leave, but I don't have four weeks' annual leave so there's unpaid leave going there," Kilkolly said. "But it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Playing at the World Cup gives us the ability to compete on a world stage and have that feeling of being a professional footballer, without being one." As a forward, Kilkolly will have eyes on Kane's number nine jersey after their game at the 26,000-capacity TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. "I think he earns more in a week than I earn in a year working," he said with a laugh. pst/as
Hindustan Times
20 hours ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Auckland City's amateurs take unpaid leave for Club World Cup adventure
The revamped Club World Cup starting on Saturday brings together some of the most celebrated teams and players in global football. And Auckland City. In a tournament boasting $1 billion in prize money and featuring superstar multi-millionaire players including Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, the New Zealand side are a striking anomaly. Auckland City are an amateur club, their players balancing football with university studies or full-time jobs as teachers, real estate agents and sales reps. They don't earn a salary for playing. Their first game at the Club World Cup in the United States brings them face-to-face with German champions Bayern Munich and their prolific England striker Harry Kane. Benfica and Boca Juniors, two other storied heavyweights, come next. Auckland City striker Angus Kilkolly cannot wait. "It's probably our dream group," he told AFP by telephone as he made his way to training from his day job in sales. "For us to be able to experience playing against those teams is a dream for us. To be actually on the same pitch is a little bit crazy." The 13-time Oceania Champions League winners have been an almost constant presence at the Club World Cup since 2006. The Navy Blues finished third of seven sides at the 2014 edition, beaten by Argentina's San Lorenzo in extra time in the semi-finals. The tournament this time is a different beast after FIFA pumped in huge resources and made it a 32-team competition that includes Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Inter Milan. Kilkolly describes Auckland City as "a family club where everyone's welcome, you know everyone, you see the same people at every game". Their picturesque Kiwitea Street ground is nestled in a residential area in New Zealand's biggest city and matches typically take place in front of crowds of between 200 and 2,000, Kilkolly said. "We've got a nice boutique club room and everybody enjoys a drink after the game," said the 29-year-old, who averages a goal every other game in his nearly 140 appearances for the club. Auckland City are currently third, four points behind leaders Birkenhead United AFC in the amateur 12-team Northern League. So against the highest level of opposition they have ever faced, what would represent success against Bayern and the rest? "If we can leave there and say, 'we played our style, we've done our best', I think that's a positive outlook," said Kilkolly. "If we leave there with regrets, going 'we didn't do all we could', that would be a sour feeling." He says the team will stick to the club's "DNA" of attractive possession-based football and playing out from the back. "We don't concede a lot of goals in New Zealand so obviously we're aiming not to concede too many goals at the Club World Cup as well," he said. Kilkolly's typical week day is a busy one and he has not taken a proper holiday for three or four years because football eats up all his leave days. A manager in sales for a power tools firm, he is in the office at 7:30 am, does a day's work, trains three or four times a week, home by 9:00 pm, off to bed, repeat. He does not receive a wage for playing football. Rather, there is a cap of 150 New Zealand dollars a week for amateur footballers in the country covering basic expenses such as gym membership. The Auckland City players will be in the United States for nearly a month thankfully Kilkolly's boss is understanding and likes football. "It's not easy, it's four weeks' leave, but I don't have four weeks' annual leave so there's unpaid leave going there," Kilkolly said. "But it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Playing at the World Cup gives us the ability to compete on a world stage and have that feeling of being a professional footballer, without being one." As a forward, Kilkolly will have eyes on Kane's number nine jersey after their game at the 26,000-capacity TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. "I think he earns more in a week than I earn in a year working," he said with a laugh. pst/as SPORT LISBOA E BENFICA - FUTEBOL
Irish Daily Mirror
03-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Meet the Irishman playing at the Club World Cup against Bayern, Benfica and Boca
Dylan Connolly knows he's not supposed to have days like these, not as an amateur footballer who has to shoehorn training sessions into his busy working life. But sometimes you just strike it lucky and today the Celbridge lad has arrived in America to take on some of the world's biggest teams in the FIFA Club World Cup. From Celbridge in Co Kildare, the 25-year-old will be the sole Irish competitor in the expanded tournament that now incorporates 32-teams. He plays for New Zealand's most successful club, Auckland City, and the amateur side have been drawn in the same group as Bayern Munich, Boca Juniors and Benfica. Champions League winners PSG, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Manchester City, Chelsea, Juventus and Porto are among the other heavyweight clubs involved in the tournament. 'It's absolutely bonkers, and still hard to believe,' Connolly told Mirror Sport as he ramps up preparations for Auckland's opener against Bayern Munich on June 15. The Bundesliga champions are bringing their catalogue of stars to America and right-back Connolly will be part of a defence tasked with keeping Harry Kane quiet. 'It's one of those things that as you're saying it now, it still doesn't sound real,' said Connolly when asked about trying to do a job on the England international. Veteran striker Edinson Cavani - once of Manchester United - is still punishing defences for Boca Juniors, the giants of Argentina and Diego Maradona's old club. And it won't be lost on Connolly that Greece international Vangelis Pavlidis led the way for Benfica this season after smashing 19 league goals in 34 games in Portugal's top flight. Connolly said: 'Don't get me wrong, we're going to try our best as we've prepared so well and put so much into it. We want to give the best account of ourselves as possible. But we also have to consider that these are some of the very best players in world football. The experience and opportunity to share a field with them is every amateur footballer's dream. 'You're watching their games on TV at the weekend going 'wow, I could be on the pitch with them in a few weeks'. Not many amateur players get to say that, especially in a competitive game that both sides are going to take seriously. That makes it even more special. It's not a charity game or a friendly match, it's a big game in a big competition. ' Last year, Mirror Sport caught up with Connolly when he was playing in the Oceania Champions League in Tonga, for a club based in the Cook Islands called Tupapa Maraerenga. In April of this year, he returned to the Oceania Champions League with his new club Auckland City and ended up winning it outright in the Solomon Islands. Football has taken Connolly to some far flung destinations since leaving these shores, where he played U17 League of Ireland football for Shelbourne and Drogheda United. At senior level, he represented Lucan United in the Leinster Senior League and his younger brother, Aaron Connolly, is one of Athlone Town's key players. From Ireland to tournaments in Spain, and New Zealand via the Cook Islands and Tonga, Connolly is now in America for games in Cincinnati, Orlando and Nashville. And in September, it looks like he will be off to Africa to play in a FIFA Intercontinental Cup qualifier as the African Champions League winners are due to play Auckland City. 'It's unbelievable but as an amateur footballer you always have that wish growing up as a kid that you will play in something like this,' he said of the Club World Cup. 'I turned 25 last week and you think that opportunity is over and that you've missed the boat on the professional scene. So to have something like this, while still being an amateur, is just incredible and scarcely believable. 'I just want to contribute to the team, give it a go and make it something to remember. If you could go back a few years when I decided to move to New Zealand and told me this would happen in a couple of years, I'd have said you were crazy. This doesn't happen to people, so I know it's a once in a lifetime opportunity.' The entire New Zealand league is amateur but as they settle into their Tennessee base, Auckland City will shed that mindset and adopt the most professional of approaches. They have two warm-up matches pencilled in and will then fly to and from their group games against Bayern Munich in Cincinnati (June 15), Benfica in Orlando (June 20) and Boca in Nashville (JUne 24). Connolly admits it's a world removed from the day-to-day grind of amateur football in New Zealand's top flight, where you juggle work demands with the beautiful game. What's certain is that the galaxy of stars on display at Bayern Munich, Benfica and Boca Juniors didn't have to book time off work to play in this Club World Cup. That is their job and Connolly said: 'I'm a physiotherapist and I work as a contractor in a sports clinic. I also work as a football coach with a private academy. That's almost turning into another full-time job at the minute. A lot of my life is taken over by football and I'm either training, coaching or doing physio with athletes. It's really busy and I've tried to cut down on work this year because of football but it's difficult as you have to earn a living.' Connolly continued: 'All of our players are in different positions, depending on the jobs they have. I'm lucky that I work for myself as a contractor. I can take time off and with the football coaching we have other coaches that can come in and I can oversee that from abroad. 'Some of the lads are in university and have had to get special exemptions from exams to travel to America. Other lads working in jobs are taking annual leave and unpaid leave which is crazy as I doubt too many players are asking for time off work to go to the Club World Cup. 'But if you ask any other amateur footballer in the world if they would do it, of course they would. We're definitely not complaining but it's just a different world to what the professional players are facing. The best thing about the sport is that anything can happen and you just have to go out there with that attitude. On the day, it will be hard to avoid the big names but we'll be going out to follow a game plan, give it 100% and whatever happens, happens.' And Connolly added: 'We'll get what we deserve to get, but for the next couple of weeks it's about getting the head down and trying to give the best account of ourselves. Will an amateur team ever play in this competition again? I'm not sure, so we have to go and grab it, enjoy it and live the experience.'
