The WaiBOP United Gazette
Squad19 Oct 2026
A knee injury of the worst kind for Cameron Nelson
38 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. WaiBOP United lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Joe Nelson stands alone
10 saves, and a scoreline the ten men in front of him had no right to. Goalkeepers only get noticed on the bad days; this was one of the other ones.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Tempers go at WaiBOP United
Kosta Tuiloma was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Boardroom19 Oct 2026
5 academy graduates step up at WaiBOP United
Senior shirt numbers handed to boys the coaches have known since they were twelve. Most will not make it and all of them have already done the hard part.
Squad19 Oct 2026
Words at WaiBOP United training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Jake Cacace 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.
Market19 Oct 2026
Marco Cacace steps up from the WaiBOP United academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Marco Cacace has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market19 Oct 2026
Noah Payne steps up from the WaiBOP United academy
There is no fee, no unveiling and no agent on the steps. Noah Payne has been at this club since he was a boy and is now, formally, one of the first-team squad — which for a local readership beats any signing of any size.
Market19 Oct 2026
WaiBOP United promote Marco Waine from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Marco Waine has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
Market19 Oct 2026
WaiBOP United promote Francis Barbarouses from within
The academy exists for exactly this morning. Francis Barbarouses has come through every age group the club runs and has now been handed a senior number, and the people who coached him at twelve will be the proudest in the building.
In brief
- Match WaiBOP United find a way past Hawke's Bay United
- The dugout Tim Fenton: “That is the standard”
- The dugout Marco Waine gets it from the manager