It’s been a pre-season of uncertainty for Te Puke United.

Last season, the club’s premier side played in the WaiBoP League One that included teams across both the Waikato and Bay of Plenty regions.

This season, that same league was to have continued and in February there were 10 teams who would have been involved.

However, the withdrawal of four meant the league was no longer viable, so the remaining six teams – including Te Puke – have been put into regional leagues.

Te Puke will play in the Bay of Plenty Senior Men’s League Division One – the division they won in 2023.

“Hopefully, the interest from the clubs returns in 2026 to allow us to bring WaiBoP League One back,” said WaiBoP communications manager Dwayne Barlow.

For Te Puke’s new coach Aaron Ashton, it has meant a disrupted pre-season and a switch in the playing styles he was instilling in his charges.

Ashton said in preparing for the tougher League One, he had been planning on playing a defensive-focused system.

“We’ve gone back to a 4:2:3:1. We were playing five at the back, getting ready to play in a tougher league.”

Playing style

While disruptive, Ashton said going back to something closer to last season’s style hasn’t been too difficult with a core of players returning from last season, alongside some new faces.

Among them are last year’s player-coach Tom Skerten, who will be vice-captain, returning captain Cameron Riley, Alex Johnson, Shaun Bell and Mohdeep Sodhi. After a season away, forward Nick Johnson is also back.

Cameron Riley (left) in action.

“We are looking at a squad of about 19 so there’s good competition for places.

“The morale’s quite high in the squad and the boys are looking forward to this year. We’ve got a good core and a good spine in that first team, which is good and looking promising.”

Results in pre-season games haven’t always gone Te Puke’s way, but Ashton’s happy with the way the team has been playing.

“We’ve got a few key players still playing cricket, so we didn’t have them, but the team’s looking very strong.”

He said “without a doubt” the goal was to repeat the title-winning success of 2023.

“By the looks of it, we are going to be one of the more competitive teams in the league, but we can’t let that go to our heads, we’ve still got to go out and put in the effort.

Changing positions

Ashton was a former player with the club’s reserve team but had been away for a time.

“I just decided to go into the management. The club ideally needed someone, and I decided for the club, my role would be better as a coach rather than a player.”

The club’s reserve grade side will play in the Senior Mens’ Bay Two league and there are hopes of fielding two women’s teams.

The first team opens their season at Litt Park on Saturday with a game against Tauranga’s Waipuna Rangers (kickoff 1pm) while the reserves travel to Ōhope’s Bluett Park for a 2.30 game.