Tony P says:
August 15 will be start with the GF 1st week in March 09. Breaks for Fifa windows as well. Pre-season will start in July and we will tour China in June (tbc).
Happy Larry Me!!!
June, June...and my friends get married in Harbin in July..will I be rich enough to do both?
Who else is coming (tbc)?
martinb2008-03-14 16:53:34
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From someone who was there last September and intends making another trip there in August, a couple of tips for anyone planning to go to China.
Once the tour dates and venues are confirmed, and you decide to go, get your Chinese visa application in sharpish, as they require up to two weeks for processing.
And when you're getting your currency exchanged prior to going, you'll most likely get large value notes in return. When you get to China, try to exchange a couple of these for the equivalent in smaller-sized currency upon arrival at the airport.
Why? If you're in a position where you have to get a taxi, and you've only got large notes on you for the fare, your cab driver is rather reluctant to give change - they regard the difference as a tip!!
I got the direct flight to and from Shanghai on Air NZ last year, while the Football Ferns went via Hong Kong. A little transit stop in Singapore might be worthwhile on the way home this year, as FIFA has just opened its first official store at Changi Airport. Should be good for a few football souvenirs.
Cheers,
JR
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I was in China for a month in 2005 and really enjoyed it.
It's really cheap there, breakfast costs about 60c.
I stayed mostly at the YHA. They have an English-speaking travel agent who can help you.
Watch out for scammers in Beijing and Shanghai though, they love a white face.
I'd be keen to go again to see the Phoenix play ...
It's really cheap there, breakfast costs about 60c.
I stayed mostly at the YHA. They have an English-speaking travel agent who can help you.
Watch out for scammers in Beijing and Shanghai though, they love a white face.
I'd be keen to go again to see the Phoenix play ...
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Well I'm already here!
Taxi drivers do tend to be b#^tards here but just insist on your change. And yes there are scammers in all major shopping and hotel areas. Don't follow touts anywhere, but do buy match tickets from touts outside the stadium at one third of the stated price.
Air NZ fly direct to Shanghai and will start to fly to Beijing around June/July sometime. Singapore Airlines fly to most large cities otherwise there are flights to almost anywhere from Hong Kong. If you stop over in HK for a couple of days on the way over you can get a China tourist visa really easily in HK, at far less hassle than getting it in NZ.
Martinb and I can share jokes on the alternative meaning of "yellow fever" 
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I'll go to all games wherever they are in China, and will be happy to help anyone out with advice before you come and while you are here.
Hope like hell this is confirmed!
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yeh mate there's a few around...
keen as beans...hoping its on the weekend...don't want to have to quit my job over a Phoenix game, but!
gotta peer pressure all the kiwis you know to come with...
start putting the pressure on now...I had a trip to Guangzhou recently...
considering I left a few days before the season kicked off and the only game I've seen is beckstravaganza...
we gotta get on youtube and start learning those chants...
got my fingers crossed to be drinking a tsingtao or beverage of choice with ya as costa opens the scoring...
can verify the easy as pie visa from HK thing...wasn't a hassle when I was there recently...got mine overnight...
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How about television coverage? I wouldn't mind making the trip, but it's not in my budget unfortunately 
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Maybe we should get busking licences Rob.
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Hey does Gao Lei Lei make it possible that we have a better chance to tour China? Does make it a marketing thing for the Chinese...
anyone got any hints on where he has played in the past? Is there anyone on the forum at the mo' who is of Chinese decent btw? Just out of curiousity...
A Saturday game would be good- could fly over Friday, and hopefully get back on Monday for work..its a bummer there's no holiday period around then?
Someone should get some Gao/Phoenix posters done and post them around the unis, tea cafes, BBQs etc etc! or place ads on the local Chinese tv stations/ newspapers and deals for the Asian football leagues or something...
gee that doesn't sound amateur and desparate does it? It was the kind of strategy that sortof sometimes worked for promoting things at uni
martinb2008-03-20 23:56:45
anyone got any hints on where he has played in the past? Is there anyone on the forum at the mo' who is of Chinese decent btw? Just out of curiousity...
A Saturday game would be good- could fly over Friday, and hopefully get back on Monday for work..its a bummer there's no holiday period around then?
Someone should get some Gao/Phoenix posters done and post them around the unis, tea cafes, BBQs etc etc! or place ads on the local Chinese tv stations/ newspapers and deals for the Asian football leagues or something...
gee that doesn't sound amateur and desparate does it? It was the kind of strategy that sortof sometimes worked for promoting things at uni
martinb2008-03-20 23:56:45
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Gao played for Beijing Guoan for 7 years. They are a part of the Chinese Super League - came 2nd last year, though did only get promoted in 2004 - so Gao was only a part of the team in the Super League for 2 years.
a.haak
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Gao played for Beijing Guoan for 7 years. They are a part of the Chinese Super League - came 2nd last year, though did only get promoted in 2004 - so Gao was only a part of the team in the Super League for 2 years.
Cheers Valeo!
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I was in China for a month in 2005 and really enjoyed it.
It's really cheap there, breakfast costs about 60c.
I stayed mostly at the YHA. They have an English-speaking travel agent who can help you.
Watch out for scammers in Beijing and Shanghai though, they love a white face.
It's really cheap there, breakfast costs about 60c.
I stayed mostly at the YHA. They have an English-speaking travel agent who can help you.
Watch out for scammers in Beijing and Shanghai though, they love a white face.
While you're there, see if you can sort out that Tibet thing, it's getting kinda annoying....
Nix, Leyton Orient and Alloa Athletic supporting schmuck.
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Hey...okay...Tony P confirm the China trip then YF on tour followed up by the Olympics!!
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Hey...okay...Tony P confirm the China trip then YF on tour followed up by the Olympics!!
Better than the other way around. Wouldn't want to be a 'round-eyes' in China after the Olympics.
I suspect the big event is going to be a bloody mess (literally) with tourists and protesters caught in the middle.
How about the Nix prepare "Plan B" now in case the Olympic Games do turn to (yellow) custard.
That's "B" ... as in bail-out!
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"Ok for sh*t to happen . . . will decompose."
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i tihnk we should play team wellignton and clubs like that maybe ais and thoose teams in austrailia
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In terms of organisation and infrastructure the Games will be OK, there will be groups attempting disruptions however they'll be small in scale and quickly dealt with by the enormous security presence. It's impossible to predict what news coverage of the 'disruptions' will be like and affect they'll have on the Chinese govt's PR objectives, however this will be more of a media/news coverage issue rather than major disruptions on the ground. That's my prediction anyway.
As for a tour in June if it happens, there can be a lots of little annoying things about travelling in China (I missed the first half of Australia vs China yesterday because of someone's stuff up), however the recent stuff in T**** and surrounding areas have no impact on life in Shanghai, Beijing or other major cities.
Don't want this site to be blocked here hence use of the ****. Cannot access certain things already 
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.P.S. Went to the South Korea vs. North Korea WC qualifier in Shanghai last night, amazing atmosphere and a demonstration of how football can be a force for good.
SC032008-03-27 20:11:58
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Hey...okay...Tony P confirm the China trip then YF on tour followed up by the Olympics!!
Better than the other way around. Wouldn't want to be a 'round-eyes' in China after the Olympics.
I suspect the big event is going to be a bloody mess (literally) with tourists and protesters caught in the middle.
How about the Nix prepare "Plan B" now in case the Olympic Games do turn to (yellow) custard.
That's "B" ... as in bail-out!
I only have a very very small personal experience of China...so this is a big generalisation...but I think the thing people tend to neglect from our coverage is that there are a lot of Chinese who are very proud of their country and who they are! So having the Olympics is a big deal in showing that to the world. A lot lot.
We tend to pigeonhole a country by the method of government, but often miss the fact that it is a proud country and a nation on a personal level too, even if there are things about it which we find difficult to accept like the values by which it is administered.
hence they like that Australia beat Japan at the World Cup! and they don't believe that Italy and Spain were beaten fairly and squarely in 2002...on my cross section of the meagre handfull of folk I talked football with...
maybe I am showing my ignorance here...but it is something I feel it is very hard to grasp from NZ where we can not really understand how vast China is, both in the human landscape and the actual country.
also I guess if you think of small rivalries like Auckland/Canterbury writ large with 4000 years plus of history and how you might deal with that if you were the government in Wellington ...ahh well enough of me waffling on...
I have a suspicion that a lot of people are going to be suprised by these games...but we will see I suppose...
martinb2008-03-27 22:23:47
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