Our Club

FC Nelson was established in 2011 through the joining of four clubs, Nelson City, Metro, Tahuna Juniors and ex-National League side and Chatham Cup winners Nelson United.

Each of these football clubs had their own proud histories and the decision to merge these was not taken lightly, however, the amalgamation and subsequent formation of FC Nelson, has allowed the club to grow and develop new opportunities for all our members to progress and develop, something which may not have been possible while continuing to operate smaller independent units.

The club has grown since then, cementing roots in the local community, including partnerships with Nelson College, Nelson College for Girls, local Intermediate and Primary Schools, development pathways and resources for local refugees and a partnership with New Zealand's only professional club, Wellington Phoenix Football Club.

We now have dedicated Community Liaison portfolio committee members who are dedicated to the roles of Community Liaison (they are also respected leaders within these refugee communities), especially engaging with the refugee community whilst also working with local primary schools alongside our Director of Football and Operations personnel.

Community is at the heart of the club, with a variety of cultures coming together under the universal language of football, including refugees from the local Chin, Nepalese, Karenni and Columbian communities.

Such communities are inherent throughout the club - we represent the diversity of our local community and actively continue working on practices to proactively improve inclusiveness, acceptance, connectedness and breaking down barriers.

Females are welcomed into a safe and accepting environment, and we actively seek to strengthen our connectedness and access, with two dedicated Female portfolio committee members who work hard in our community alongside schools and parents.  We are working with our community to better understand and work through the barriers that girls and women face, which are varied and come from external sources as well as within the sport.

We actively work with local community and multicultural groups to increase our knowledge, connectedness and relationships within our community, and to especially work with our partners and members on removing barriers to not only participation, but also essential services such as physiotherapy, medical care, pastoral care and more.

The club is continuing its growth and development of player pathways, with 9 Senior teams and 19 Junior/Youth teams competing in the winter league in 2024, numerous club tournaments available to our local talents, development pathways including the FC Nelson Academy and the FC Nelson Wellington Phoenix Pre-Academy Centre and our Fun Football Skills Centre as well as our Holiday, Primary School and Summer Football programmes. 

We are one club and one community, united with a common passion for the beautiful game. Our long term aim is make football accessible and enjoyable at all levels of the game and to give players of all ages and coaches the chance to develop to whatever level they aspire to while at the same time helping everyone to become good, connected humans.

We look forward to welcoming you as part of the FC Nelson family!