When I started this blog I wasn't sure I'd have something to write about all the time! So I started a series on the history of National League clubs and managed to get a handful out, before realising that having things to write about wouldn't be an issue! With Stop Out celebrating their centenary this coming Queens Birthday weekend I thought it would be a good time to revive the series and start with an overview of one of the more uniquely named clubs in New Zealand.
FOUNDED 1919
COLOURS Red & Gold
GROUND Hutt Park
HONOURS Chatham Cup 1956
National League Runners Up 1977
Central League Division 1 1983,84,96
Central League Division 2 1968
Venus Shield 1954,55,56,64,71,72,81,84, 2005,13,14
Hilton Petone Cup 1969,71,74,78, 2015,18
Stop Out were formed by the Rev Thomas Fielding-Taylor with a vision of keeping the local "Stop-Out's" out of trouble by playing football and other sports. in 1919 Stop Out was a slang term for street kids. Stop Out were originally based in Te Aro in central Wellington but soon moved out to Morea in the Hutt Valley, where the club is still based today.
It was in the 1950s that the club made their mark, dominating Wellington Football winning the Venus Shield three times in 1954,55 & 56 and also winning the Chatham Cup in 1956.
Having established themselves in Wellington's top division they stayed there through the 1960s until the formation of the Central League in 1968. They started in Division 2 and won this easily, going through the season undefeated and scoring an outstanding 127 goals in an 18 game season. The following season saw them finish runners up in Division 1 and with that gain promotion to the new National League.
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| Stop Out 1956, Chatham Cup & Venus Shield Winners |
They spent the next 10 seasons in the National League, the highlight of this time coming in 1977, when they finished runners up. The NZ Soccer Annual says that In 1976 they signed every name player to express an interest in joining the club, the result being extreme dissatisfaction amongst the players and a close shave with relegation. So in 1977 coach Maurice Tillotson took a different approach and stuck with 11 players. the only name signing they made was Iain Ormond from Blockhouse Bay, whose job had been transferred to Wellington. They almost pulled it off losing the league title to North Shore United by one point.
In 1980 they suffered relegation from the National League and then spent the next few seasons trying to get back but despite winning the Central League in 1983 & 84 they were unable to succeed in the National League playoffs.
In 1987 the club joined with close rivals Petone & Lower Hutt City to form Hutt Valley United to compete in the National League. It was a unique set up, Hutt Valley United was an umbrella club and the three clubs under it acted as feeder clubs and retained their own identities.
Hutt Valley United ended when the National League was abolished after the 1992 season and it was Lower Hutt City, not Stop Out that took the place in the new Superclub competition. It was the start of a dark period in Stop Out's history, reaching a nadir in 1998 when they managed just one point all season in Central League Division 3. The club had also dwindled in size and only had three teams and folding or merging with someone else looked a real possibility. However the club survived and rebuilt itself during the 2000's and they are now a firmly establish Central League club, finishing in 3rd place last season.
NOTABLE PLAYERS AND MANAGERS
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| Stop Out NZ internationals Barry Pickering & Malcolm Dunford with Mr Stop Out, Jim McCreadie Photo Stop Out |
Over the years the club has had several internationals, including Keith Barton, Fred Benge, Steve Boyland, Geoff Brand, George Drylie, Malcolm Dunford, Henk Grootelaar, David Houghton, Gordon Johnson, Sam Malcolmson, Alex Milne, Graeme Petersen, Barry Pickering, Shane Rufer, Wynton Rufer, Jack Sharp, Reg Singer, Robbie Ten Broeke and Maurice Tillotson.
Other notable players include the likes of Bruce Polyanszky, Ken Dugdale, Derek Gibson-Smith, Ian Charlton, Gordon McAbney and more recently The Gulley brothers, Steven & Justin and the evergreen Luis Corrales. While Maurice Tillotson and Fred Goodwin were two coaches that had significant times at the club and made their mark.
Of course clubs aren't just about the players and coaches, there's the volunteers and administrators that keep the club going. one of the most significant at Stop Out is Jim McCreadie, often referred to as Mr Stop Out. Brother of Scottish International Eddie McCreadie, Jim has been involved with Stop Out for longer than most can remember. He was recently made a life member of Capital Football and is a major factor that the club is still here today and celebrating their centenary.
If you haven't caught up with whats happening for Stop Outs centenary, here's their plan - check out the facebook page for any updates and contacts
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