Supporting the development of aspiring U12, U13 & U14 Boys & Girls

What is the Weir Rose Bowl?

The Weir Rose Bowl has been a feature of the junior football calendar for well over 60 years with the first event being held in the early 1950s. It was first introduced when prominent Auckland Junior Football Committee member, Tom Weir, donated the Weir Rose Bowl trophy that bears his name. The event is held annually at St Peters School, Cambridge during the October school holiday period. The school provides a magnificent setting for the event as well as a limited amount of onsite accommodation and meals for teams that wish to stay at the venue. 

The aim of the Weir Rose Bowl is to provide a structured event for players, coaches and referees in an enjoyable environment that maximises learning opportunities. For the players, this period in their development is recognised as being the ‘Golden Age of Learning’ and it is therefore important that we maximise every opportunity available to support skill acquisition.

The Skill Acquisition phase is important in a player’s development as they are well balanced, coordinated and adaptive to learning football skills. In no other phase of life will motor learning happen faster. Therefore, the Skill Acquisition phase is the optimal time to focus on developing football skill essential for long term participation.

Every year teams from the Waikato, Bay of Plenty, Auckland and Northland come together to celebrate their junior football journey and display the skills learnt during their junior years. The Weir Rose Bowl provides a platform for these young players to display their newly gained skills in a safe and supportive environment. 

The event also incorporates a Referee Development programme where young referees from across the regions have an opportunity to grow their respective skills under the watchful eyes of regional Referee coaches.