50 YEARS of Seatoun Women’s Football
Celebrate with us
Seatoun AFC is proudly celebrating 50 years of women’s football – a journey that began in 1975 and has flourished into a rich legacy.
Women's football at Seatoun started with humble beginnings, has celebrated championship glory and has been led by many strong talented women over the past five decades.
Join us as we celebrate the people, the victories, and the enduring presence of Seatoun’s women.
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Friday 20th June
Women’s 1st play
Seatoun Park - Kick off 2.30pmKick off the weekend by joining us to cheer on the Seatoun Women’s 1st team as they take the field at Seatoun Park. After the match, join us for drinks and nibbles, and to catch up with old teammates.
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Saturday 21st June
Jubilee Event - Theme, Blue tie
Seatoun Bowling Club, 7pmThe main event! Join us for an unforgettable evening celebrating 50 years of Seatoun Women’s Football. Enjoy a delicious dinner, share stories from across the decades, and raise a glass to the incredible legacy of women’s football at Seatoun. $35 entry, includes dinner. Dress code: “Dress & tie”.
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Sunday 22nd June
Womens 2 & 3 play
Seatoun Park (Time TBC)Round off the weekend back where it all began — at Seatoun Park. Watch the Women’s 2nd and 3rd teams in action, and stick around for drinks and nibbles as we wrap up a fantastic weekend of women’s football.
Let us know if you’ll join!
Kick-off
The story kicks off in 1975, when Margaret Johnstone and Lana Duckett made history by forming Seatoun AFC’s first-ever women’s team. Frustrated by the lack of opportunities for women in football at the time, these two pioneers rallied like-minded players and launched a team. It was a bold move in an era when organised women’s football was still finding its feet – Wellington had only established its women’s football association a couple of years earlier, in 1973, alongside the introduction of the region’s first women’s trophy (the Pat Kelly Cup).
Against this backdrop, Johnstone and Duckett not only created a team for themselves and their peers, but also helped spark a movement that welcomed more women onto Wellington’s football pitches.
With borrowed gear and a lot of determination, Seatoun’s women played their first matches in local leagues, and the club became a fixture in the local women’s competitions almost immediately. In fact, Seatoun’s women have been ever present in Wellington leagues since the team’s inception.
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, as more clubs formed women’s teams, Seatoun was right there helping lead the way. The club has always provided a welcoming home for female players of all ages and skill, a club spirit we’re still proud to hold.
Community volunteers stepped up as coaches, referees, and managers; and what began as a small team driven by enthusiasm evolved into a force to be reckoned with. Over the decades, Seatoun’s women have compiled an impressive list of achievements in league and cup competitions, making their mark at the highest levels of regional football.
The club’s senior women celebrated a golden era in the mid-2000s with a remarkable three-peat of Central League titles – winning the league championship in 2006, 2007, and 2008. Then after a brief hiatus again in 2015. The club’s women’s team has also won the Kelly Cup a record 11 times.
For 19 consecutive years, Seatoun proudly competed in the region's top womens league, the Central League, making it the longest standing club in the leagues history. Whilst the 2024 season ended in relegation, the club remains focused on rebuilding and returning stronger.
In the early years, maintaining one women’s side was an achievement; by the 1990s and 2000s, as interest grew, Seatoun expanded opportunities for more women to play. The club’s women’s section grew to field three teams across different divisions. After a brief stint back to one Seatoun women's team, the 2020’s have see the club proudly support three senior women’s teams again.
Throughout this 50-year journey, one constant thread has been the community spirit and passion that defines Seatoun. You’ll find instances of daughters playing in the same club their mothers once did, and volunteers who once laced up their boots now organising fixtures, coaching teams, on the committee or working the bar.
This jubilee is not just a look back, but also a call to celebration. We invite everyone who has been part of the journey – players, coaches, supporters, and current members – to share in what has been achieved. We also shine a light forward. Seatoun’s women’s teams remain a cornerstone of the club, ready to inspire the next generation for the next 50 years.
