Becks for New Zealand rematch
01 Sep 2008
Down-under footie fans will be in for a fresh taste of Beckham magic when the international football star returns to New Zealand soon.
It was confirmed this week that David Beckham and the LA Galaxy will play an Oceania All Stars team at Auckland's Mt Smart Stadium on 6 December.
Negotiations between the LA Galaxy and Auckland Regional Council have been underway since May.
New Zealand football record
Becks and the team drew huge crowds at several events in Wellington last December showing that while this country might be the home of the All Blacks it's also full of enthusiastic football fans.
More than 31,000 Kiwis turned out to watch LA Galaxy beat Wellington Phoenix 4-1 at Westpac Stadium setting a New Zealand record for attendance at a football match.
Becks in action
This time it'll be Auckland's turn to see Becks in action.
"We are pretty confident Becks is still big news and would hope that we would get a crowd as big as or larger than the one at Wellington last year," Auckland Regional Council spokesman Lance Vervoort said.
Galaxy official Tom Payne said they were delighted to be returning to New Zealand "to compete against a quality international opponent."
As well as the main match, there will be several events involving the Galaxy including an opportunity for school children to attend a training session.
Oceania All Stars
Former French international and World Cup winner Kristian Karembeu will skipper the the Oceania All Stars. Kiwi international Wynton Rufer is also likely to play.
The remainder of the Oceania team is expected to be made up with the best players from the Pacific and New Zealand’s national football team, the All Whites.
Posh Spice
Organisers are hopeful Beckham's wife Victoria - former Spice Girl 'Posh' - might join him in New Zealand.
Beckham moved his family to Los Angeles in 2007 when he took up a contract with LA Galaxy reputedly worth around US$250m over five years.
The former English Captain is as famous for his fashion and marriage to Victoria, as his exploits on the soccer field.
Beckham family connections
David Beckham may be a big name in the sporting world but his surname is huge in New Zealand's far north.
A new website that maps surnames around the world shows that the region of Northland has the highest concentration of Beckhams in the world.
While the famous footballer may not yet be aware of possible family connections in New Zealand, if he was to travel to Northland he'd be likely to find a warm welcome in Beckham-central.
Andrea Beckham of Mangonui said her rich namesake could look forward to a traditional seafood spread should he turn up.
Mrs Beckham was surprised by the finding and said she didn't believe her family was directly related to the celebrity. Other Beckhams appear in the 2008 electoral rolls for the towns of Kaikohe and Whangarei.
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