McFetridge Park is a decent place to watch football. Which is just as well, because this match was bizarre for me. I’ve usually been in the technical area, with a stake in whatever game is being played in front of me. Not today, though. And that was kind of nice. If I’m honest, I nearly piked out. The man flu struck and, after a long drive to Auckland, I thought staying in might be the way to go. But then the kids started...
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Okay, so here we go for real with this blogging thing. There’s nothing like the traditional NRFL double-header Easter Weekend football extravaganza with bells, whistles and footballs to get things going for another year. Actually, with only two divisions on offer I thought I would be a little starved. But thankfully some forward thinking club officials thought of me when scheduling their matches, so we have a lot to look forward...
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I had every intention of spending my day out at Links Ave, Mt Maunganui, wandering around the ground, watching all the WaiBOP Federation’s Pre-Season Cup finals matches and then producing what would be my first impartial match report in years. Unfortunately, Matamata Swifts were playing and I discovered it’s still tough to be completely unbiased on a day when they’re playing. Enlightening. Anyway, as for what was on...
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So. That’s the second step out of the way. After the horror that was the OFC Nations Cup in Honiara, nothing less than winning the Oceania qualifying group was acceptable. Job done. But last night’s game was hard going…as a fan and, clearly, as an All White. The 2-1 injury time win against New Caledonia was a really important result. The performance by New Zealand’s finest wasn’t all that fine, though. At...
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In 2010 I travelled to South Africa for the FIFA World Cup. During my travels I wrote weekly articles for the Matamata Chronicle. I have combined these articles and will present them in two parts – pre-tournament and during-tournament. This wasn’t the first time DB’s World Cup Diary made an appearance. It made it’s debut for Germany 2006. We hit South Africa and South Africa hits us! When Joel (Matamata Chronicle Editor) told me I...
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In 2010 I travelled to South Africa for the FIFA World Cup. During my travels I wrote weekly articles for the Matamata Chronicle. I have combined these articles and will present them in two parts – pre-tournament and during-tournament. Part 2 is posted here. This wasn’t the first time DB’s World Cup Diary made an appearance. It made it’s debut for Germany 2006. DB’s World Cup Diary returns Four years after...
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DB’s World Cup Diary – Germany 2006 In 2006 I travelled to Germany for the FIFA World Cup. During my travels I wrote weekly articles for the Matamata Chronicle. I have combined these articles and will present them in two parts – pre-tournament and during-tournament. Part 1 is posted here. I continued this diary for South Africa 2010 and I’ve posted that series here. Football at last! (Originally published on June 27, 2006) After more...
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DB’s World Cup Diary – Germany 2006 In 2006 I travelled to Germany for the FIFA World Cup. During my travels I wrote weekly articles for the Matamata Chronicle. I have combined these articles and will present them in two parts – pre-tournament and during-tournament. Part 2 is posted here. I continued this diary for South Africa 2010 and I’ve posted that series here. What have I agreed to? (Originally published on June 6,...
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I wrote this article in May 2012, so please forgive the obvious date-related inaccuracies. The sentiments still stand, even though I’m not directly involved these days. Here’s a little discussion piece for those of you interested in the NRFL here in New Zealand. The cost of entering the Northern Region Football League is made up of several components. Apart from actual entry fees, promotional fees and the like, clubs must pay...
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