Wildcats are unstoppable

Photo: Ben Watson

HUDDLED DOWN: The South Auckland Raiders, left, and the Papatoetoe Wildcats in a huddle during their Auckland American football match at Centre Park in Mangere last Saturday.

Photo: Ben Watson

STOP ME: South Auckland Raider Junior Tui charges downfield.

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Centre Park in Mangere has become the unofficial home of American football in Auckland.

Sixteen games were played there last Saturday and that tally excludes matches played at Mountfort Park in Manurewa and Millhouse Reserve in East Tamaki.

Papatoetoe Wildcats player and manager Thomas Wayne says the popularity of the game among teenagers is proving a boon for local clubs like the Wildcats, South Auckland Rangers, JC Spartans and Tamaki Lightning.

"There has definitely been an explosion of interest and it has enabled all four local clubs to field a junior team, a colts team and a senior team."

Wayne says it wasn’t many years ago that clubs were struggling with numbers for their senior teams.

His Wildcats lead the senior competition with four straight wins.

They beat the South Auckland Raiders 36-0 at Centre Park on Saturday to cement their position at the top of the table. The Raiders are one of the oldest and most successful American football teams in Auckland.

The Wildcats play the Northern Pride on the North Shore tomorrow.

Games at Centre Park kick off at 10am.