Football fever hits Wellington with our own ‘world cup’

 Gather the troops and head down to Martin Luckie Park next weekend (29 March) for a day of football, food and festivities as Wellington’s own mini-world cup gets in gear.


A whopping 40 teams have registered to compete for their country in the city's second Culture Kicks tournament, with a number of teams from the 2006 tournament returning for another crack at world dominance in the beautiful game.

The Council's Sport and Recreation Portfolio Leader, Councillor John Morrison says people should come along and pick a team to support.

"Wellington's diversity is reflected in the registrations - you can choose from teams like South Africa, Greece, Italy, Chile, Israel, or closer to home, the Yellow Fever Supporters Club representing New Zealand," he says.

Smaller ethnic groups like Assyria and Afghanistan have also entered, making some interesting games unlikely to be seen at the FIFA World Cup.

"In the 2006 final, Somalia triumphed over Aotearoa - who knows who will take the cup this year?" says Morrison.

City Council Event Organiser Craig Ireson says there will be plenty of entertainment at the park during the day for children and adults alike.

"Even if you are not a lover of the beautiful game, it is still worthwhile going for the excitement in the air, the food stalls representing most of the globe, free children's activities including face painting, a bouncy castle, story telling and appearances from the Wellington Phoenix football players. There will also be some great bands playing during the day like reggae band Newtown Rocksteady and Balkan Gypsy Music from Niko Ne Zna," he says.

Kick-off is at 9.30am, with the grand final scheduled for 5.30pm at Martin Luckie Park, Berhampore.