I believe that Tahiti has withdrawn from holding the Oceania Beach
Soccer Championships in July and that the event will now be played
in the Westpac Stadium in Wellington around the same time. Has any
word on this been in the local rag down in Wellers?
It would seem quite funny hosting a beach football competition
in the middle of a New Zealand winter but if no other nation in the
Confederation can host it, and the timing has to fit in in order
for us to find our representative in Brazil, then who cares where
it is played.
The NZ side (I'll call them the All Beaches until we come up
with something better) has already been named by James Pamment and
it consists of mainly players from Waitakere United, Waikato FC,
Tauranga City United and Hawkes Bay United, will be hoping to take
out the competition and make the FIFA finals in Brazil.
So can anyone do some digging (ho ho ho) to confirm whether or
not we can relabel the Caketin and call it the Sandpit, for the OFC
Beach Soccer Champs.
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Doesn't do it for me, I'm afraid, this Beach Soccer. Yet another
training exercise that's trying to become a game (see R*gby 7s) and
how long will it be until some unimaginative old hack calls it "New
Zealand's fastest growing sport" because last year 5 people played
it and this year it's 10, ("playing numbers are up by a whopping
100% this year alone!!).
And I'm sorry, but since when has Westpac Stadium been a
beach?
Yawn.
Nix, Leyton Orient and Alloa Athletic supporting schmuck.
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I can't see it being at Westpac. More likely they wheel a
beach in to the TSB arena on Queens Wharf.
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I heard from a SKY rep that that is where it was going to be. It
would be an overkill for sure.
I don't know why the Tahitians pulled out of hosting it as
that would be an ideal venue. Whats worse is that some of the
players parents had already booked the trip to Tahiti. Hope they
can cancel without losing too much.
I photographed the beach soccer champs @ the Mount and it was
my first experience of really watching it live. I'd seen old
Cantona and co playing on the TV but it was quite good to watch.
I don't think it's ever going to become anything big but it
is a part of the game and if there is money involved should we make
the finals then it's got to be worth entering.
There are plans to build a proper beach football facility at
Lake Karapiro. OK, so its not a beach but I think some people are
focussing too much on the word BEACH, rather than the fact that
it's football played on sand. The plan is to run some business
house leagues and build a competition that runs from Raglan across
to the Mount. I know if my leg can hack it I'd be keen to play is
socially.
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I know if my leg can hack it I'd be keen to play is socially.
So, no chance then
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Oh its been fine since I've been cycling to work down along the
Waikato River walkway. Probably needs a test soon. Comeback 629....
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