Publications that help preserve the heritage of football in New Zealand
Miramar Rangers have published their official match programme for their Central League fixture against Wellington Olympic on Saturday June 10, 2023. Read it here … Watch the game live WATCH: Live stream of Miramar Rangers v Wellington Olympic >>>>> More … Read More
East Coast Bays have published their official match day programme for their Chatham Cup second round tie against Western Springs to be played on Monday June 5, 2023. READ MORE: Upsets on the cards as clubs go for Chatham Cup … Read More
Wellington Olympic have published their official match day programme for their Central League fixture against Napier City Rovers on Saturday May 20, 2023. Read it here … Fixture Game to be played on Saturday May 20, 2023 READ MORE: Olympic … Read More
Christchurch United have published a match programme for their Southern League game against FC Twenty 11, played on Friday May 19, 2023. Read it here … Southern League Christchurch United v FC Twenty 11 United Sports Centre, Christchurch, 7pm … Read More
Christchurch United have published a match programme for their first round Chatham Cup tie against Parklands United, played on Friday May 12, 2023. Read it here … Chatham Cup Christchurch United v Parklands United United Sports Centre, Christchurch, 7pm More … Read More
Miramar Rangers have published their official match day programme for their Central League fixture against Waterside Karori on Saturday May 6, 2023. Read it here … O’Brien Shield The game was also Miramar Rangers’ 33rd defence of the O’Brien … Read More
East Coast Bays have published their official match day programme for their Lotto NRFL Men’s Championship fixture against Northern Rovers on Saturday May 6, 2023. Read it here … Fixtures Lotto NRFL Men’s Championship READ MORE: Crucial games loom in … Read More
North Wellington have published their official match day programme for their Central League fixture against Wellington Olympic on Saturday April 30, 2023. Read it here … Central League READ MORE: Stragglers could be left behind as pressure goes on in … Read More
Wellington Olympic have published their official match day programme for their Central League fixture against North Wellington on Saturday April 30, 2023. Read it here … Central League READ MORE: Stragglers could be left behind as pressure goes on in … Read More
Nelson Suburbs have published their official match day programme for their Southern League fixture against Coastal Spirit on Sunday April 30, 2023. Read it here … Southern League Game to be played on April 30, 2023 Nelson Suburbs v Coastal … Read More
Nelson Suburbs have published their official match day programme for their Southern League fixture against Dunedin City Royals on Sunday April 23, 2023. Read it here … Southern League READ MORE: Midtable match-up stands out in intriguing Southern League round >>>> … Read More
North Wellington have published their official match day programme for their Central League fixture against Wellington Phoenix Reserves on Saturday April 22, 2023. Read it here … Central League READ MORE: Newly-promoted sides meet in Central League as battle heats … Read More
Birkenhead United have published their official match day programme for their Northern League fixture against West Coast Rangers on Saturday April 22, 2023. Read it here … Northern League READ MORE: Upsets on the cards as sides scramble to clear … Read More
Wellington Olympic have published their official match day programme for their Central League fixture against Petone on Saturday Friday April 22, 2023. Read it here … Central League READ MORE: Newly-promoted sides meet in Central League as battle heats up … Read More
Ngaruawahia United have published their official match day programme for their Lotto NRFL Men’s Championship fixture against Mount Albert Ponsonby on Saturday April 22, 2023. Read it here … Lotto NRFL Men’s Championship READ MORE: Championship high flyers East Coast … Read More
Christchurch United have published their official match day programme for their Southern League fixture against Nomads United on Friday April 21, 2023. Read it here … Southern League Christchurch United v Nomads United United Sports Centre, Christchurch 7pm READ MORE: … Read More
Central League club Miramar Rangers have published the latest copy of their official match day programme. The latest issue was published for their home fixture against Stop Out to be played on Saturday April 15, 2023. Read it here … … Read More
Central League club North Wellington have published the latest copy of their official match day programme. The latest issue was published for their home fixture against Waterside Karori to be played on Saturday April 15, 2023. Read it here … … Read More
Central League club Wellington Olympic have published the latest copy of their official match day programme. The latest issue was published for their home fixture against Whanganui Athletic to be played on Saturday April 15, 2023. Read it here … … Read More
Lotto NRFL Men’s Championship club Waiheke United have published the latest copy of their official match day programme. The latest issue was published for United’s home fixture against Mount Albert Ponsonby on Easter Monday, April 10, 2023. Read it here … Read More
Lotto NRFL Men’s Championship club Ellerslie have published the latest copy of The Ave, their official match day programme. The latest issue was published for The Ponies’ home fixture against Tauranga City on Easter Monday, April 10, 2023. Read it … Read More
Lotto NRFL Men’s Championship club East Coast Bays have published their official match day programme for their round three fixture against Ellerslie. This issue was published for the match won 5-0 by East Coast Bays on Good Friday (Friday April … Read More
Northern League club Auckland City have published the latest copy of Navy Blues, their official match day programme. This issue was published for Auckland City’s Northern League fixtures over Easter when they played Birkenhead United (Friday April 7) and West … Read More
Christchurch United have published their official match day programme for their Southern League fixture against Dunedin City Royals on Good Friday. READ MORE: Early pacesetters face off on Good Friday as Southern League table takes shape >>>> Read it here … … Read More
Lotto NRFL Men’s Championship club Hibiscus Coast have published the latest copy of Game Day, their official match day programme. The latest issue was published for Coast’s home fixture against North Shore United on April 1 2023. Read it here … Read More
Northern League club Auckland City have published the latest copy of Navy Blues, their official match day programme. The latest issue was published for Auckland City’s Northern League fixture against Bay Olympic on April 1 2023. Read it here … … Read More
Cambridge FC have celebrated the club’s 75th Jubilee with a weekend of activities and a dinner beside the nearby Lake Karapiro. Over the weekend of March 24-25, 2023, members past and present gathered to renew friendships and share memories of … Read More
Lotto NRFL Northern Conference club Oratia United have published the latest copy of Tia Talk, their official match day programme. The latest issue was published for Oratia United’s season opener against West Auckland on March 25, 2023. Read it here … Read More
Northern Region Football and Friends of Football are co-hosting a free one-day workshop to help anyone who wants to improve the promotion of our sport through communications. Called Connecting Football, the March 11 workshop is for anyone already working in … Read More
Fifty years ago, New Zealand faced a crucial hurdle in their efforts to reach the 1974 FIFA World Cup in West Germany when they hosted Australia in a qualifying game at Auckland’s Newmarket Park. Australia were favourites to win a … Read More
Forty years ago this week, New Zealand’s All Whites achieved a double success against their arch-rivals, the Australian Socceroos. In a two-match series, New Zealand beat the Australians 2-1 in Auckland and then 2-0 in the return fixture in Melbourne. … Read More
Football Dad unfolded a tatty and sun-bleached map of the world across the kitchen table. The fine print, in the bottom right of the map, marked its origin: ‘Acme Corporation – Printing and Production, 1987’. ‘Okay, so there’s a few … Read More
Friends of Football have been building an online archive of classic match programmes and football publications of interest to New Zealand fans of the game. We’re converting printed publications to a digital format, enabling fans of all ages to appreciate … Read More
Vertical rain drove across the park in Small Rural Town. Football Dad trudged wearily along, his gumboots squelching through the mud. The Youngest One gripped his hand tightly: ‘This field’s a bit soggy,’ she observed. ‘I can’t even see the … Read More
Having been delayed by 20 minutes by Raj From India’s motion sickness, Football Dad’s van screeched into the car park at Small Seaside Town FC with kick-off less than quarter of an hour away. The kids were piling out of … Read More
New Zealand Football has begun a series of quarterly updates, outlining progress made with its legacy plan for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. The plan, called Aotearoa United: Legacy Starts Now, aims to maximise the potential benefits to the game … Read More
Football Dad shifted uncomfortably on his stool, at the back of the room. ‘Okay, awesome, great to see everybody dancing!’ shrieked Weird Lady’s Sister. ‘What an awesome party we’re having!’ A lengthy and painful crackle emanated from the battered speakers, … Read More
Football Mum was at the door, an expensive craft beer in one hand, and a tall glass of pink grapefruit juice in the other. ‘How did it go?’ she enquired, a little hesitantly. She could normally gauge the result within … Read More
Football Dad was determined not to get involved. He stood on the opposite side of the field to all the other parents, fiddling with his phone nervously, trying not to be conspicuous. Weird Lady kicked off her team’s first training … Read More
In early 1973, one of New Zealand’s leading sports commentators, Geoff Sinclair, provided a ‘state of the nation’ review of football, or ‘soccer’ as the sport was widely known at the time. Sinclair, the sports editor of Sunday News, and … Read More
Football Dad’s foot stank. Hunched in a kitchen chair, he slowly peeled off a mud-and-water-soaked Merino sock. ‘Yuck,’ he muttered, followed quickly by a word that rhymed … with multiple meanings. ‘We wonnnnnnnn!!!!!!’ screamed the Youngest One, tearing through the … Read More
While next year will celebrate the FIFA Women’s World Cup in New Zealand, 2023 will also provide another milestone for women’s football. It will be the 50th anniversary of the formation of the Auckland Women’s Football Association, the body that … Read More
Half a century has passed since one of New Zealand’s most talented footballers scored a hat-trick in his international debut. On September 17, 1972, Blockhouse Bay winger Ian Ormond pulled on the New Zealand shirt for the first time, playing … Read More
Thirty years ago this month, Miramar Rangers won the 1992 Chatham Cup, beating Waikato United 3-1 in the final at Wellington’s Basin Reserve. Darren Fellows put Waikato ahead early before Billy Wright levelled for Rangers. Wright scored again with a … Read More
For 20-year-old Graham Dacombe, it was the greatest game of football he ever played — four goals in a Chatham Cup final, a match the newspaper headlines later billed as ‘Dacombe’s epic cup final’. It was the classic 1972 Chatham … Read More
We hope you’re enjoying the Friends of Football website and the stories we covering about New Zealand football. We aim to keep you in touch with our national teams, the Wellington Phoenix (men’s and women’s A-League), clubs in the northern … Read More
Of all the contributions New Zealand has made to the game of football, one has remained largely unrecognised until recently — and that’s how the use of numbers on shirts was pioneered in this country. Shirt numbers were used by … Read More
Thirty years ago this week, the All Whites played three games against top German side Werder Bremen who agreed to let their star striker, Wynton Rufer, play against them. Rufer and the All Whites lined up against Werder Bremen in … Read More
The years 1982 and 2010 loom large in any reminiscing about New Zealand football’s glory days — they’re the years our All Whites beat the odds to reach FIFA World Cup finals in Spain and South Africa. But what about … Read More
Wellington’s Miramar Rangers will aim to land their fifth Chatham Cup when they meet Christchurch’s Cashmere Technical in the much-disrupted finale to the cup’s 2021 competition. After COVID-19 cut short the 2021 season, Rangers had to wait till February 2022 … Read More
For thousands of New Zealand football fans – particularly those who follow the women’s game – the Ultimate New Zealand Soccer website has become a vital source of results, news and information. On December 7, 2021, the site chalked up … Read More
Auckland Anniversary Day holds a special link with an historic match played under floodlights more than half a century ago. On January 27, 1964, Swiss Cup champions FC Basel came to Auckland’s Blandford Park to play a New Zealand team … Read More
The recent death of former Manchester United and Scotland manager Tommy ‘The Doc’ Docherty has jogged memories of his connections with New Zealand. He died on New Year’s Eve, aged 92, after a long illness. ‘The Doc’ visits New Zealand … Read More