Auckland City's amateurs take unpaid leave for Club World Cup journey

In a tournament boasting $1 billion in prize money and featuring superstar multi-millionaire players including Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe, the New Zealand side are a striking anomaly.

Auckland City are an amateur club, their players balancing football with university studies or full-time jobs as teachers, real estate agents and sales reps. They don't earn a salary for playing.

Their first game at the Club World Cup in the United States brings them face-to-face with German champions Bayern Munich and their prolific England striker Harry Kane. Benfica and Boca Juniors, two other storied heavyweights, come next.

Auckland City striker Angus Kilkolly cannot wait. "It's probably our dream group," he told AFP by telephone as he made his way to training from his day job in sales.

"For us to be able to experience playing against those teams is a dream for us. To be actually on the same pitch is a little bit crazy." The 13-time Oceania Champions League winners have been an almost constant presence at the Club World Cup since 2006.

The Navy Blues finished third of seven sides at the 2014 edition, beaten by Argentina's San Lorenzo in extra time in the semi-finals.

The tournament this time is a different beast after FIFA pumped in huge resources and made it a 32-team competition that includes Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City and Inter Milan.

After-game drinks

Kilkolly describes Auckland City as "a family club where everyone's welcome, you know everyone, you see the same people at every game". Their picturesque Kiwitea Street ground is nestled in a residential area in New Zealand's biggest city and matches typically take place in front of crowds of between 200 and 2,000, Kilkolly said.

"We've got a nice boutique club room and everybody enjoys a drink after the game," said the 29-year-old, who averages a goal every other game in his nearly 140 appearances for the club.

Auckland City are currently second, a point behind leaders Birkenhead United AFC in the amateur 12-team Northern League. So against the highest level of opposition they have ever faced, what would represent success against Bayern and the rest?

"If we can leave there and say, 'we played our style, we've done our best', I think that's a positive outlook," said Kilkolly. "If we leave there with regrets, going 'we didn't do all we could', that would be a sour feeling." 

He says the team will stick to the club's "DNA" of attractive possession-based football and playing out from the back. "We don't concede a lot of goals in New Zealand so obviously we're aiming not to concede too many goals at the Club World Cup as well," he said.

Unpaid leave

Kilkolly's typical week day is a busy one and he has not taken a proper holiday for three or four years because football eats up all his leave days. A manager in sales for a power tools firm, he is in the office at 7:30 am, does a day's work, trains three or four times a week, home by 9:00 pm, off to bed, repeat.

He does not receive a wage for playing football. Rather, there is a cap of 150 New Zealand dollars (US$90) a week for amateur footballers in the country covering basic expenses such as gym membership.

The Auckland City players will be in the United States for nearly a month - thankfully Kilkolly's boss is understanding and likes football. "It's not easy, it's four weeks' leave, but I don't have four weeks' annual leave so there's unpaid leave going there," Kilkolly said.

"But it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Playing at the World Cup gives us the ability to compete on a world stage and have that feeling of being a professional footballer, without being one."

As a forward, Kilkolly will have eyes on Kane's number nine jersey after their game at the 26,000-capacity TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. "I think he earns more in a week than I earn in a year working," he said with a laugh.