The Wellington Phoenix love affair with Auckland’s Eden Park continues after a 2-1 win against Sydney extended the club’s unbeaten run to 12 games at the national stadium. Cheered on by more than 18,000 fans — their biggest crowd of … Read More
By Rachel Lilburn Seven teams from the Waikato and Bay of Plenty region have got their 2024 football seasons underway in Taupō at the Janine Giddy Women’s Tournament. Waikato Unicol, from Hamilton, claimed bragging rights, winning the inaugural tournament over … Read More
Taika Waititi’s latest flick Next Goal Wins is screening in New Zealand cinemas this summer. The screenplay is written by Waititi and Ian Morris, with the movie directed by Waititi whose previous works include Marvel’s Thor: Ragnarok and the Oscar-winning Jojo … Read More
By Rachel Lilburn Taupō’s annual McCartney Invitation Tournament continues to break records, whether it’s the number of players taking part (1,600), teams (119) … or the amount of coffee (9,300 cups) and donuts (27,000) sold to those on the sidelines. … Read More
By Rachel Lilburn More than 700 players, 22 young referees and hundreds of spectators benefitted from three days of quality junior football at this year’s Weir Rose Bowl. The 2023 Weir Rose Bowl was held in the October school holidays … Read More
By Rachel Lilburn The largest — and arguably the most successful — junior football tournament in Australasia has never been marketed, promoted or advertised. It’s an invitational tournament, grown through word of mouth, that sees close to 2,000 junior and … Read More
By Rachel Lilburn My 11-year-old boy is football mad. He’s played since he was four. We lived in Chile until he was seven, and we would often go to Chilean Premier Division Matches. It was a predominantly male crowd, watching … Read More
Suddenly, it’s all over. A month of scintillating football, drama and emotion that undoubtedly changed the perception of football and, in particular, the women’s game. Yes, the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup exceeded expectations with 64 matches that drew record … Read More
By Rachel Lilburn The July school holidays saw 106 teams from New Zealand and Australia make their way to Christchurch for the eighth edition of the Christchurch International Cup. Fast becoming the premier junior and youth football tournament in New … Read More
By Rachel Lilburn A fast-growing futsal tournament has drawn more than 40 junior and youth teams to the Hawke’s Bay for three days of competition in which more than 1,000 goals were scored. Young futsal players from across the North … Read More