Latest news from Friends of Football
Champions Wellington Olympic will go head-to-head with closest rivals Miramar Rangers when the Central League kicks off on March 25. NZ Football have released the season’s fixtures for the National League’s regional competitions, the Northern, Central and Southern Leagues. Opening … Read More
Promoted club FC Twenty 11 will host last year’s runners-up Cashmere Technical in the first round of games of this season’s Southern League. NZ Football have released the season’s fixtures for the National League’s regional competitions, the Northern, Central and … Read More
Legendary All Whites coach John Adshead has paid tribute to his former player, Grant Turner, saying: ‘He was a lionheart.” Turner, who has died aged 64, was a gentle man, despite his reputation for toughness, Adshead said. “He came to … Read More
Leon Birnie has been appointed women’s U-20 head coach to lead the team heading into the 2024 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup. Birnie takes on the role after two World Cup cycles as women’s U-17 head coach, including leading the … Read More
Football Ferns Meikayla Moore and Olivia Chance have taken part in a 16-minute broadcast with Dutch international Tessel Middag in which they discuss inclusivity in women’s football, allyship and differences between the leagues they have played in. Broadcast by UK’s … Read More
By Joan Grey The dreaded Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury is a footballer’s nightmare. It waits in the shadows at training and games to pounce on an awkward twist or rocky landing and claim its next victim. Female footballers are … Read More
Napier City Rovers will stage an All Stars game as a showcase event for their upcoming 50th anniversary celebrations. The match — between past players — will be staged as a curtain-raiser to the Central League match against Miramar Rangers … Read More
Legendary Football Fern Maia Jackman, Winter Olympian Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and business leader Dame Therese Walsh are the first New Zealanders to be revealed as members of FIFA’s ‘Beyond Greatness Champions’. FIFA have launched the ‘Beyond Greatness’ programme to support and … Read More
Former All Whites midfielder Grant Turner — one of the stars of the 1982 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign — has died in Tauranga, aged 64. His death, after struggling with cancer in recent years, was confirmed by the NZ … Read More
Wellington Phoenix defender Claudia Cicco has been named in the Young Matildas squad for their upcoming U-20 Women’s Asian Cup qualifiers. Cicco (18) has been selected after taking part in training camps and international matches over the past few months. … Read More
Former New Zealand U-23 coach Des Buckingham will present a Masterclass session in Wellington for those keen to hear his insights on developing people, culture and environment. Buckingham currently coaches Mumbai City in the Indian Super League and was regarded … Read More
New Zealand Football’s newly-appointed General Manager of High Performance, Keir Hansen, starts his job this week with the Football Ferns at a critical stage of their preparation for the upcoming FIFA Women’s World Cup. The Football Ferns, and head coach … Read More
Northern League club Takapuna have launched a youth and junior development programme under the guidance of recently-appointed Youth Director of Football, Daniel Semp. Semp, who holds the OFC/NZF C Licence, brings a level of experience not only as a first … Read More
Four more countries have joined the teams to contest November’s FIFA U-17 men’s World Cup in Peru, for which New Zealand have qualified. The four semi-finalists at the 16-nation CONCACAF U-17 Championship tournament in Guatemala all go through to the … Read More
East Coast Bays have joined Friends of Football’s club partnership scheme to help promote football in our regions. The club plays in the Lotto NRFL Championship and will host the world champion United States squad when they use Bay City … Read More
The Wellington Phoenix have fallen to another agonising one-goal defeat in this season’s Liberty A-League. For the fifth time in 12 games, the Phoenix have been beaten 1-0, this time by heavyweights Sydney FC at North Harbour Stadium in Auckland. … Read More
He played more than 600 games as a pro footballer, scoring 352 goals … but Scottish international striker John McGinlay has told how a year in New Zealand helped launch him into the top flights of British clubs. Considered a … Read More
Football Ferns legend Wendy Sharpe says the woes of the current national team are down to a lack of getting the basics right. In a 10-minute radio interview, Sharpe has spelt out what she thinks is going wrong and what … Read More