I spent a nice Monday afternoon out at Stanmore Bay for my pick of the Chatham Cup’s round 2 matches. Why Hibiscus Coast versus Melville United? It’s two minutes from the in-laws, so it was nice not to have to traipse across Auckland before a 200km drive home in the evening. The setting at Stanmore Bay is one of the most picturesque in the league. My memories of their changing rooms are that they are about as small as...
Read MoreEvery time I visit a match I’ll take a minute long movie so readers can get a feel for the venue. In the latest in our One Minute At… series we’re at Albany United’s Rosedale Park for their NRFL Division 2 match against Western Springs played on June 1, 2013. The game finished 4-0 to Western Springs. Here’s a match report of the game.
Read MoreAfter several Saturday afternoon changes of plan I found myself at Rosedale Park for the NRFL Division 2 match between Albany United and Western Springs. Plan A was to travel out to South Auckland and cover another game of two halves: namely the first half of Mangere United versus Waiuku and the second half of Papatoetoe against North Shore United. Plan B was to do a similar thing on the Shore, with matches at East Coast Bays, Albany,...
Read MoreEvery time I visit a match I’ll take a minute long movie so readers can get a feel for the venue. In the latest in our One Minute At… series we’re at Tauranga City United’s Links Ave for their NRFL Division 2 match against Oratia United played on May 25, 2013. The game finished 3-1 to Oratia. It was a mucky afternoon. Here’s a match report of the game.
Read MoreI have deliberately kept my distance from Tauranga City United, despite their home ground being probably the closest NRFL venue to where I live. It’s no secret that I was centrally involved at Matamata Swifts AFC up until early this year. It’s no secret the club was forced to pull out of the NRFL due to a rapid and shocking depletion of the club’s playing stocks. And it’s probably no real secret as to what one...
Read MoreI was recently appointed Communications Manager for WaiBOP Football. You might be thinking: “Big deal. So what?” And I wouldn’t blame you. But I thought it might be important to let everyone know, as my new role comes with certain limitations. Clearly, there are now areas I have to be very careful about going on this site, particularly when commenting on local football. Hopefully this won’t greatly alter my...
Read MoreThere’s more than one way to be successful at this sport they call football. That’s why we love it. This match was a contrast of two defined styles. Birkenhead, new to the division and already top of the table, are a tidy footballing side. They have some good technical players who play the ball on the deck and with the sort of pace that stretches sides. During the first 20 minutes or so of this match they put Wanderers to...
Read MoreEvery time I visit a match I’ll take a minute long movie so readers can get a feel for the venue. In the latest in our One Minute At… series we’re at Tauranga Old Blues’ Wharepai Domain for their Chatham Cup Round 1 match against Hukanui-Rototuna played on May 11, 2013. The game finished 5-0 to Old Blues. This clip finishes with the awarding of the penalty that led to the opening goal. Here’s a match report of the...
Read MoreThe last time I watched a game of football at Wharepai Domain in Tauranga was in the mid-1990s. That day, the match was a Chatham Cup tie between two clubs who have since merged with other clubs – Tauranga City and Waikato United. So it was fitting my next visit, nearly 20 years later, to this venue was for a cup tie between a Tauranga-based side and a Hamilton-based side. Old Blues, current leaders of Waikato Bay of Plenty...
Read MoreEvery time I visit a match I’ll take a minute long movie so readers can get a feel for the venue. In the latest in our One Minute At… series we’re at Takapuna AFC’s Taharoto Park for their NRFL Division 1 match against Ngaruawahia United played on May 4, 2013. The game finished 1-0 to Takapuna. Here’s a match report of the game.
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