O Epoe Tooki Tooki

I’ve been pretty keen on getting All Whites fans to sing O Epoe Tooki Tooki at matches. I reckon the circularity and “boy scout camp fire sing-a-long” nature of that song would make it a good terrace chant. Here’s the Wiggles doing it (apparently the words translate as something like “At night up straight, at night up straight thrusting” which is kind of peculiar for a children’s song):

It could be our “Doe a deer”:

Football culture and New Zealand have never really been a good fit – much like football culture and Australia, the Pacific, North America and Canada. I like the idea of embracing those elements which have made it difficult for football culture to take off in this country – you know, finding cool in the uncool/finding football in the un-football. For example, the term “soccer”. It’s clear to me that NZ Football should have stuck with the name NZ Soccer/Soccer NZ as the term “soccer” is quite frankly much more hip. I mean, how great is Johannesburg's new “Soccer City”? See also the “Celtic Soccer Crew” and Auckland’s own “City Soccer Casuals”. As another example, it took a Burton Albion supporting mate of mine to awaken me to the idea of singing “All Whites! Maori Army!” at matches.