The Women’s Champions League is a beacon on the horizon every season and at a minimum the qualifying stages usually serve up a few kiwi interests. Vic Esson and Rangers were one of those interests this year... but the draw was not kind to them
An undeniable rivalry has emerged between Wellington Olympic and Auckland City these past few years and the funkiest thing about it is that they only ever play for high stakes
There was no question who the favourite was in this year’s Kate Sheppard Cup final. Auckland United bossed their way to the NRFL Premiership title going undefeated through the entire campaign and that sort of form wins trophies
It’s starting to become real. Auckland FC are signing players, they’re initiating league-wide rule changes, and they’ve even popped over to Australia for a few preseason games
So that’s where Sarpreet’s got to. After escaping a very lame situation in Germany with Hansa Rostock thanks to a conveniently-placed relegation release clause, he’s ended up in the second division of Portuguese football with one of Jose Mourinho’s old clubs
There’s a busy schedule coming up for the All Whites over the next couple months, with these September friendly games against Mexico (in California) and USA (in Cincinnati) followed by World Cup qualifiers in both October and November
Elijah Just has gotten his transfer and it’s not a move that anyone saw coming. Back in March he was heavily linked to Swedish top division side IFK Goteborg, who were then being managed by the coach who signed him for AC Horsens in the first place...
There are seven players in Leon Birnie’s 21-woman squad who are listed with overseas pro clubs (only one of those is an A-League team) and that doesn’t include the seven others who have already made A-League appearances for the Wellington Phoenix
Not so long ago, Ben Old was battling through recurring injuries for the Wellington Phoenix just trying to stay fit for long enough to show what he’s capable of. Now he’s New Zealand’s second-ever French Ligue 1 player
The last few months have put Liberato Cacace in a state of uncertainty. A new Empoli manager has been appointed yet Cacace missed much of preseason due to the Oceania Nations Cup, meanwhile his contract has entered its final year with plenty of rumoured clubs circling around him with curiosity
Yeah okay never mind then. The Wellington Phoenix are out of the Australian Cup already, having been bounced by NPL club South Melbourne in the round of 32. They conceded an early goal and never managed to muster a response
After two games off the bench, including last week when he popped up to assist a 90+5th minute winner, Elijah Just found his way to a recall and responded with the decisive moment in the match.
It was three defeats from three for the Football Ferns in Paris, with a 2-1 loss against hosts France closing the door on their Olympic quest for another cycle. But it was a good 2-1 loss.
The time has come for Matt Dibley-Dias to spread his wings. He’s made it onto the bench a couple of times for Fulham in the Premier League. He captained the U21 side to the Premier League Cup title a few months ago…
It started with Matt Garbett dangling a leg and conceding a penalty in the sixth minute. Alex Paulsen did not save it. They conceded again in the twelfth min when the fellas failed to clear a free kick cross. The third was just as scrappy…
A week ago, this game wasn’t a particularly enthralling proposition. The Football Ferns were served with a brutal Olympics group and part of that parcel was facing the defending champs first up. But then the Canadians imploded.
In a group with France, USA, and Guinea... you’ve gotta be beating Guinea if you’re aiming for the second round. Of course, Guinea were thinking the exact same thing about us...
These things don’t tend to stay secret for very long, so by the time Finn Surman was unveiled as a Portland Timbers player we’d already known what was coming. Yet another Wellington Phoenix player moving to a top tier league around the world
Another Oceania tournament and another trophy for NZ Football headquarters to proudly display. This one came with a hiccup though.
It has been two months since the Wellington Phoenix men’s team ended their season with a semi-final exit against Melbourne Victory. It has been three-and-a-half months since the Wellington Phoenix women’s team wrapped up their campaign with a 2-0 win over Western Sydney Wanderers