The WaiBOP United Gazette
Market17 Aug 2026
Auckland City come back empty-handed
The bid was some way short and WaiBOP United did not need long over it. Nobody in the game reads a first refusal as the end of anything.
Squad17 Aug 2026
A falling-out at WaiBOP United
Jai Just and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
No hiding place for Ben Smith
“I pick players who do the work. All of it.” No name was spoken; every camera still turned to Ben Smith, and the manager let it.
Market17 Aug 2026
Hawke's Bay United watching Tim Kirwan
The interest is real enough to have reached print. WaiBOP United have said nothing, which in a transfer window is its own kind of answer.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Markel Caballero signs a new deal
“I never wanted to be anywhere else. There is unfinished business here.” Markel Caballero commits to WaiBOP United for another 3 years.
Market17 Aug 2026
Jai Stamatelopoulos is free to find somewhere else
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at WaiBOP United has been clear about where Jai Stamatelopoulos stands, which is more than many ever get.
Squad17 Aug 2026
Words at WaiBOP United training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Marco Garbett is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Market17 Aug 2026
The shop window has Liberato Payne in it
WaiBOP United have let the market know Liberato Payne can be had. No price in the advert, but everyone in the trade knows roughly what it says.
The dugout17 Aug 2026
Markel Caballero knocks on the manager’s door
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Markel Caballero trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.